EVIDENCE FOR THE NATURAL OCCURRENCE OF FUMONISIN-B1, A MYCOTOXIN PRODUCED BY FUSARIUM-MONILIFORME, IN CORN

Fusarium moniliforme, a common fungal contaminant of corn, was recently shown to produce a group of mycotoxins, the fumonisins, in culture. Moldy home-grown corn collected from an area of the Transkei, southern Africa, was analyzed for the presence of the fumonisin mycotoxins. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) was detected in the sample extract, as independently prepared derivatives, by two high-performance liquid chromatographic procedures. A capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric procedure was used to confirm the identity of the tricarballylic acid moiety, present in the esterified hydrolysates of the fumonisins. This is the first conclusive report of the natural occurrence of FB1 in corn. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.