Palacios-Cabrera Héctor, Fracari Juliana, Copetti Marina Venturini, Mallmann Carlos Augusto, Almeida Marcelo, Meléndez-Jácome María Raquel, Vásquez-Castillo Wilson
Escuela de Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 0901952, Ecuador.
Departamento de Tecnologia e Ciência dos Alimentos (DTCA), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil.
Foods. 2025 Jul 26;14(15):2630. doi: 10.3390/foods14152630.
Maize is a key crop in Ecuador for both human and animal consumption. Its vulnerability to fungal contamination and mycotoxins poses risks to food safety. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of fungi and mycotoxins in maize grown in different regions of Ecuador (29 localities) and postharvest factors influencing contamination. Fungal identification was performed through culturing and morphological analysis. Analysis of multi-toxins was carried out using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Statistical analyses included PCA and linear regression models. Fungal contamination was found in 93.3% of samples; mycotoxins were present in 90%. and were dominant. Fumonisins (66.6%), zearalenone (30%), aflatoxins (16.7%), and trichothecenes B (13.3%) were the most prevalent. Co-occurrence of up to three mycotoxins per sample was observed, more frequent on the coast. Grain moisture and temperature were strongly correlated with contamination levels. The study reveals widespread contamination of Ecuadorian maize, with environmental and postharvest factors playing key roles. This poses a food safety concern, highlighting the need for improved storage and monitoring systems.
玉米是厄瓜多尔人类和动物消费的关键作物。其易受真菌污染和霉菌毒素影响，对食品安全构成风险。本研究旨在分析厄瓜多尔不同地区（29个地点）种植的玉米中真菌和霉菌毒素的发生情况以及影响污染的收获后因素。通过培养和形态分析进行真菌鉴定。使用液相色谱-质谱联用（LC-MS/MS）进行多毒素分析。统计分析包括主成分分析（PCA）和线性回归模型。93.3%的样品中发现真菌污染；90%的样品中存在霉菌毒素。 和 占主导地位。伏马毒素（66.6%）、玉米赤霉烯酮（30%）、黄曲霉毒素（16.7%）和单端孢霉烯族毒素B（13.3%）最为普遍。观察到每个样品中最多有三种霉菌毒素同时存在，在沿海地区更为频繁。谷物水分和温度与污染水平密切相关。该研究揭示了厄瓜多尔玉米受到广泛污染，环境和收获后因素起着关键作用。这引发了食品安全问题，凸显了改进储存和监测系统的必要性。
