June 10/Food & Farm Week -- "The objective was to determine the effect of added sodium chloride, barley malt and sucrose on the stability of fumonisin B1 (FB1) present in corn flour. Two levels of both sodium chloride (0.4% and 2%) and barley malt (0.8% and 5%) were added to the unextruded corn flour, and six levels of sucrose (3-10%) were used," scientists in Spain report.

"The addition of sucrose at the lowest salt content (0.4%) as well as salt, either at 0.4% or at 2%, led to a significant decrease of FB1 levels in extruded samples, whereas malt, either at 0.8% or at 5%, did not significantly affect FB1 stability. Decontamination rates depended on the concentrations of added ingredients and ranged from 2% to 92%. The greatest reductions in FB1 content were achieved with extrusion cooking with a high salt content, whilst the lowest reductions were the result of processing corn flour with low contents of both salt and sucrose," wrote M. Castells and colleagues, University of Lleida.

The researchers concluded, "Salt at 2% was the most effective ingredient in reducing FB1 content of the final extruded food."

Castells and colleagues published their study in Food Additives and Contaminants Part a - Chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment ("Reduction of fumonisin B1 in extruded corn breakfast cereals with salt, malt and sugar in their formulation." Food Additives and Contaminants Part a - Chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment, 2009;26(4):512-517).

For more information, contact M. Castells, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.

From the June 22, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition