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Ear-rot fungi and mycotoxins in South African corn of the 1989 crop exported to Taiwan

  • Mycotoxicoses And Mycotoxins
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Abstract

A shipment of South African corn (1989) exported to Taiwan, was analyzed for various ear-rot fungi andFusarium mycotoxins. Two sets of samples, one from the points of origin in South Africa prior to shipment, and the other from the end-point distributors in Taiwan, were studied. Surface-sterilized kernels were plated onto two different agar media and the fungal colonies identified. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to analyze mycotoxin levels. The predominant ear-rot fungi, in decreasing order of isolation frequency, wereFusarium subglutinans, F. moniliforme, Diplodia maydis andF. graminearum. Aspergillus flavus andA. parasiticus were not isolated from samples prior to export, but a small number ofA. flavus isolates were found after shipment. The predominant mycotoxins were fumonisins B1 (0–865 ng/g) and B2 (0–250 ng/g). Low levels of moniliformin (≤390 ng/g) were detected in some samples before shipment. Zearalenone (25 ng/g), and nivalenol (120 ng/g) were detected in two out of 32 samples taken in Taiwan. The samples contained no detectable levels of either aflatoxins (>0.5 ng/g) or deoxynivalenol (>100 ng/g) before or after shipment.

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Abbreviations

RSA:

South Africa(n)

FB1 :

fumonisin B1

FB2 :

fumonisin B2

ETVL:

eastern Transvaal

WTVL:

western Transvaal

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PROMEC/MRC, P.O. Box 19070, 7505, Tygerberg, South Africa

    J. P. Rheeder, E. W. Sydenham, W. F. O. Marasas, P. G. Thiel, G. S. Shephard, M. Schlechter & S. Stockenström

  2. Maize Board, Pretoria, South Africa

    D. E. Cronje & J. H. Viljoen

Authors
  1. J. P. Rheeder
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  2. E. W. Sydenham
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  3. W. F. O. Marasas
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  4. P. G. Thiel
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  5. G. S. Shephard
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  6. M. Schlechter
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  7. S. Stockenström
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  8. D. E. Cronje
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  9. J. H. Viljoen
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Correspondence to J. P. Rheeder.

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Rheeder, J.P., Sydenham, E.W., Marasas, W.F.O. et al. Ear-rot fungi and mycotoxins in South African corn of the 1989 crop exported to Taiwan. Mycopathologia 127, 35–41 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104009

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104009

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