Transfer of aflatoxin B₁ and fumonisin B₁ from naturally contaminated raw materials to beer during an industrial brewing process

Amedeo Pietri (1) , Terenzio Bertuzzi (1) , Barbara Agosti (1) , Gianluca Donadini (2)

1 Feed & Food Science and Nutrition Institute
2 AIDASA

The aim of this research was to evaluate the fate of aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) naturally occurring in raw materials (maize grit and malted barley) during four industrial brewing processes. The aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) level in raw materials varied from 0.31 to 14.85 μg kg^-1, while the fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) level (only in maize grit) varied from 1146 to 3194 μg kg^-1. The concentration in finished beer ranged from 0.0015 to 0.022 μg l^-1 for AFB₁ and from 37 to 89 μg l^-1 for FB₁; the other aflatoxins and fumonisin B₂ were not found in beer samples. The average percentages of toxins recovered in finished beer, referring to the amounts contained in raw materials, were 1.5±0.8% for AFB₁ and 50.7±4.7% for FB₁. These results were mainly due to the different solubility of the two mycotoxins during the mashing process. If raw materials respect the limits fixed by the EC regulation, the contribution of a moderate daily consumption of beer to AFB₁ and FB₁ intake does not contribute significantly to the exposure of the consumer.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Amedeo Pietri, Terenzio Bertuzzi, Barbara Agosti, Gianluca Donadini. Transfer of aflatoxin B₁ and fumonisin B₁ from naturally contaminated raw materials to beer during an industrial brewing process. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2010, 27 (10), pp.1431. ⟨10.1080/19440049.2010.489912⟩. ⟨hal-00603430⟩