Cereal Chem 59:136 - 138.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
South Carolina Corn Yield Trial Samples as Probes for the Natural Occurrence of Aflatoxin in Preharvest Kernels.

E. B. Lillehoj, A. Manwiller, T. B. Whitaker, and M. S. Zuber. Copyright 1982 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

To explore the distribution of the aflatoxin-producing fungi and the accumulation of toxin in preharvest corn kernels, a study was conducted in the 1979 South Carolina yield trials. Thirty hybrids, 10 from each of three maturity groups (short, medium, and full season) were sampled at two locations (Blackville and Florence). A 10-lb sample of kernels was collected from each of six replications for each hybrid. The entire sample was examined for the bright greenish yellow (BGY) fluorescence that has been linked to development of the aflatoxin-producing fungi. Subsequently, the kernels were ground, blended, and assayed for aflatoxin. Over two thirds of the samples contained detectable levels of toxin, with distinct location differences. Kernels from the midseason hybrids at Florence had higher toxin levels and numbers of BGY- fluorescing particles than did other sample groups; 2% contained aflatoxin B1 at levels above 640 ppb and had more than 320 BGY particles. Results from this location demonstrated a significant association between the number of BGY-fluorescing particles and the aflatoxin concentration in a sample.