Effect of Selected Cooking Ingredients for Nixtamalization on the Reduction of Fusarium Mycotoxins in Maize and Sorghum

Julianah Olayemi Odukoya; Sarah De Saeger; Marthe De Boevre; Gabriel Olaniran Adegoke; Kris Audenaert; Siska Croubels; Gunther Antonissen; Karel Vermeulen; Sefater Gbashi; Patrick Berka Njobeh

doi:10.3390/toxins13010027

Effect of Selected Cooking Ingredients for Nixtamalization on the Reduction of Fusarium Mycotoxins in Maize and Sorghum

Toxins (Basel). 2021 Jan 4;13(1):27. doi: 10.3390/toxins13010027.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus, P.O. Box 17011, Gauteng 2028, South Africa.
² Centre of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Department of Bioanalysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
³ Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwara State University, Malete P.M.B. 1530, Kwara State, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200284, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
⁶ Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
⁷ Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
⁸ Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

Although previous studies have reported the use of nixtamalization for mycotoxins reduction in maize, the efficacy of calcium hydroxide and other nixtamalization cooking ingredients for mycotoxin reduction/decontamination in sorghum and other cereals still need to be determined. The current study investigated the effect of five nixtamalization cooking ingredients (wood ashes, calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and calcium chloride) on the reduction of Fusarium mycotoxins in artificially contaminated maize and sorghum using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. All tested cooking ingredients effectively reduced levels of mycotoxins in the contaminated samples with reduction initiated immediately after the washing step. Except for the calcium chloride nixtamal, levels of fumonisin B₁, B_2, and B₃ in the processed sorghum nixtamal samples were below the limit of detection. Meanwhile, the lowest pH values were obtained from the maize (4.84; 4.99), as well as sorghum (4.83; 4.81) nejayote and nixtamal samples obtained via calcium chloride treatment. Overall, the results revealed that the tested cooking ingredients were effective in reducing the target mycotoxins. In addition, it pointed out the potential of calcium chloride, though with reduced effectiveness, as a possible greener alternative cooking ingredient (ecological nixtamalization) when there are environmental concerns caused by alkaline nejayote.

Keywords: Fusarium mycotoxins; LC-MS/MS; cooking ingredients; food safety; maize; nixtamalization; sorghum.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cooking*
Food Contamination / analysis
Fusarium*
Humans
Mycotoxins / chemistry*
Sorghum / chemistry*
Zea mays / chemistry*

Substances

Mycotoxins

Grants and funding

UID:110910/National Research Foundation, South Africa/International