Occurrence and fate of fumonisins in beef.

For 30 days, two groups of three steers each were fed a diet of herd-mix and alfalfa hay (control) or the diet with part of the herd-mix replaced by corn grits contaminated with 400 micrograms/g FB1 and 130 micrograms/g FB2. Premortem examination involved liver functionality tests; serum analyses for AST, GGT, LDH, cholesterol, and total bilirubin; urinalysis; and analyses of the blood, urine, and feces for the presence of fumonisins or their metabolites. Postmortem examination involved necropsy, histopathology, and analysis of tissue for fumonisins. Results of the liver functionality test indicated some hepatobiliary compromise in the test animals. Unmetabolized FB1 and FB2 were detected in the feces (> or = 80%), whereas trace amounts were detected in the urine. Postmortem analysis of the tissues showed 2070 ng/g FB1 in the liver (SD: 1870), 97.3 ng/g FB1 in the muscle (SD: 41), and 23.4 ng/g FB1 in the kidney (SD: 8.7).