Co-occurrence of Cyclopiazonic Acid and Aflatoxins in Corn and Peanuts

Abstract

Fifty samples of peanuts and 45 samples of com, collected in Georgia during 1990, were examined for the co-occurrence of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) and aflatoxins (AF). The corn was collected from fields in Georgia, before harvest, under the mycotoxin- monitoring program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The peanuts were designated for oil production or animal feed because of visible damage to the nutmeats. CPA was determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) using a linear gradient. Solvent A was methanol-water (85 +15), and solvent B was 4 mM ZnS04 in methanol-water (85 +15). The gradient started at 0% B and reached 100% B at 10 min. AF were determined by RPLC with postcolumn iodination. Of the 45 corn samples analyzed, 51 % were contaminated with CPA (<25-2800 ng/g, av. 467 ng/g), and 87% were contaminated with AF (1-2300 ng/g, av. 252 ng/g). Of the 50 peanut samples, 90% contained CPA (<50- 2900 ng/g, av. 460 ng/g), and 100% contained AF (3- 22 000 ng/g, av. 1685 ng/g). The identity of CPA was confirmed in selected samples of corn and peanuts by mass spectrometry.