In temperate areas, the main limitation to the use of maize in the food chain is its contamination by B-series fumonisins (FBs) during cultivation. Since the content of this group of mycotoxins may be distributed unevenly after milling, the aim of this study was to compare the distribution of FBs in maize fractions derived from two industrial dry-milling processes, that is, a dry-degermination (DD) system and a tempering-degermination (TD) system. Grain cleaning reduces FBs by about 42%. The germ of the two degermination processes showed a similar FB content of kernel after cleaning. Conversely, an animal feed flour resulted in a FB content that was two times higher than whole grain before cleaning. A significant FB reduction was observed in the milling fractions in both processes, with a higher reduction in the TD system than in the DD one. The average decontamination respect to uncleaned kernels in the DD process was 50%, 83% and 87%, for maize flour, break meal and pearl meal, respectively, while it was 78%, 88% and 94% in the TD process for small, medium and flaking grits, respectively. Among the milling fractions, the flaking grits with the highest particle size resulted in the highest FB reduction.

Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium subglutinans are common pathogens of maize which are known to produce mycotoxins, including moniliformin (MON) and fumonisins (FBs). Fungal secondary metabolism and response to oxidative stress are interlaced, where hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays a pivotal role in the modulation of mycotoxin production. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress on fungal growth, as well as MON and FBs production, in different isolates of these fungi. When these isolates were cultured in the presence of 1, 2, 5, and 10 mM H₂O₂, the fungal biomass of F. subglutinans isolates showed a strong sensitivity to increasing oxidative conditions (27–58% reduction), whereas F. proliferatum isolates were not affected or even slightly improved (45% increase). H₂O₂ treatment at the lower concentration of 1 mM caused an almost total disappearance of MON and a strong reduction of FBs content in the two fungal species and isolates tested. The catalase activity, surveyed due to its crucial role as an H₂O₂ scavenger, showed no significant changes at 1 mM H₂O₂ treatment, thus indicating a lack of correlation with MON and FB changes. H₂O₂ treatment was also able to reduce MON and FB content in certified maize material, and the same behavior was observed in the presence and absence of these fungi, highlighting a direct effect of H₂O₂ on the stability of these mycotoxins. Taken together, these data provide insights into the role of H₂O₂ which, when increased under stress conditions, could affect the vegetative response and mycotoxin production (and degradation) of these fungi.

The fungal ear rot of maize cultivated in temperate areas is mainly due to the Fusarium species. The use of insecticides against European Corn Borer (ECB) reduces the severity of fungal ear rot as well as the fumonisin (FB) and moniliformin (MON) levels in maize kernels at harvest, which in turn results in a lowering of their effect on deoxynivalenol (DON) control. However, the direct fungicidal control of ear rot has rarely been implemented for maize, and the first studies reported conflicting results on the reduction of mycotoxins. In the present experiment, field trials were carried out in North Italy over three growing seasons to study the effect of fungicide application timings on maize to control mycotoxins, considering the interaction of the application with the insecticide treatment, according to a full factorial split plot design. The mycotoxin content was determined through LC−MS/MS analysis. The field trials showed a significant reduction in ECB severity (75%), fungal ear rot severity (68%), Fusarium Liseola section infection (46%), FBs (75%) and MON (79%) as a result of the insecticide application for all the years, while the DON content increased by 60%. On the other hand, a fungicide application alone or applied in plots protected by an insecticide was never effective for the fungal symptoms, infection or mycotoxin content. The results confirm that a correct insecticide application to control ECB damage is the most effective agrochemical solution for the control of fungal ear rot, FBs and MON.

Rice is typically consumed in the polished form, but most of the bioactive compounds are lost by removing the outer layers of the caryopsis. This study proposed to analyze the phenolic pattern, including soluble (SPAs) and bound phenolic acids (CWBPAs) and anthocyanins, and the antioxidant activity of paddy, polished, and unpolished rice, and of outer layers (husk and bran) in fourteen Italian rice varieties. Unpolished black varieties showed higher levels of SPAs and anthocyanins compared to red and brown pericarp varieties. Among by-products, rice husks were rich in SPAs (497-796 mg/kg) and CWBPAs (4060-7446 mg/kg), making them a cost-effective source of natural antioxidants. Conversely, anthocyanins are characteristic of pigmented bran fraction (2138-5041 mg/kg), which also demonstrates high free-radical scavenging activity and significant ferric reducing ability. These findings are relevant for future application of rice husk and bran antioxidants in functional ingredients and promote the consumption of unpolished pigmented rice varieties.

This study has assessed how different large-scale dry milling strategies redistribute phenolic acids, carotenoids, the antioxidant capacity, and mycotoxins in semolina and co-products in three corn hybrids, including a novel flint × dent genotype. The hybrids exhibited different redistribution patterns, likely because of their different kernel hardness. The soluble and bound phenolic acids, accumulated in the fine and bran fractions, led to higher retentions in the whole and semi-whole semolina, which also showed the highest mycotoxin content. Carotenoids, mainly located in the endosperm fractions, were more abundant in the refined semolina (+45% vs. whole semolina), which also showed the greatest mycotoxin reduction. Intermediate strategies, such as stone milling after degermination or bran incorporation, offered a balance between antioxidant retention and safety, depending on the initial contamination. The flint × dent hybrid showed higher carotenoid and lower mycotoxin levels than the dent one, thus supporting its potential for by-product recovery and food enhancement.