Cereal Chem 52:670 - 677.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Aflatoxin Occurrence in Some White Corn Under Loan, 1971. III. Association with Bright Greenish-Yellow Fluorescence in Corn.

O. L. Shotwell, M. L. Goulden, A. M. Jepson, W. F. Kwolek, and C. W. Hesseltine. Copyright 1975 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Studies were made on the relation between the occurrence in white corn samples from 1283 truckloads of Commodity Credit Corporation corn delivered at an elevator in southeastern Missouri of bright greenish- yellow (BGY) fluorescence under ultraviolet light (365 nm) and the presence and levels of aflatoxin. Although numbers of BGY fluorescing particles were related to levels of aflatoxin, the BGY fluorescent test could not be used to determine levels of toxin. Of the 10-lb whole-kernel corn samples having at least one BGY fluorescing corn particle or kernel, 55% contained measurable aflatoxin; 28% contained more than 20 ppb toxin, the present Food and Drug Administration guideline. The analytical method was sensitive to 1-3 ppb aflatoxin. Of the corn samples that had more than 20 fluorescing kernels and particles, 95% were contaminated with aflatoxin. Sixty-five per cent of them had more than 20 ppb toxin. Cracking corn before ultraviolet light (365 nm) inspection revealed more samples with BGY fluorescence, and 19% of these contained more than 1-3 ppb aflatoxin.