Mycotoxins in Corn Where do we stand

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Mycotoxins in Corn Where do we stand?
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Corn What we know

• Has always been an important commodity but
  ethanol production is shedding a new light on
  the commodity for both quality and price
• Has always had mycotoxin issues, testing is
  just more prominent now
• We live in a global market
• End users are more educated

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Corn A Perfect Host

• Widely planted in US from North to South
• Many growing conditions
• Year to year weather variability
• Planting times can vary quite a bit
• Storage

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Corn Gives Us More to Worry About

• Aflatoxin
• Fumonisin
• DON (Vomitoxin/Deoxynivalenol)
• Zearalenone
• Ochratoxin Low levels maybe?
• Other toxins are not usually present

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International Factors

• European regulations and proposed
  regulations are low compared to U.S.
• More countries have regulations now than ever
  before
• Export Certifications are increasing

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Regulations in General

• Divided between human consumption and animal
  feed with further divisions in animal feed
• EU has some regulations with each country then
  elaborating or adding to the base regulations
• US has regulations and advisory or guidance
  levels
• Over 100 countries have mycotoxin regulations
• The following regulations are human consumption
  regulations

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European Regulations
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US Regulations/Levels
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Testing Trends

• Laboratories are testing for more toxins
• GIPSA has now approved kits for Zearalenone and
  Ochratoxin in addition to the kits already
  approved for A/D/F
• GIPSA is gathering data on T-2 and HT-2
  perhaps for export issues
• Import concerns are also driving testing
  after the melamine situation

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Recent Corn Crops

• Corn Crop for 2007
• Overall crop looked better than the 2006
  harvest Pockets of aflatoxin/fumonisin in
  Texas, Southeast and some throughout
• Midwest. Texas had pockets of extremely high
  fumonisin.
• Late 2006 into Early 2007
• DON and Zearalenone in Upper Midwest and
  Canada corn harvest,
• levels were very high DON found at routinely
  over 5 ppm with some
• over 10 ppm. Zearalenone found at 1 to 5 ppm
  levels
• Harvest 2006
• Many areas had drought conditions. Aflatoxin
  and Fumonisin in a variety of areas including
  several pockets of higher contamination in
  Midwest. Some levels in Texas were very high.
• Harvest 2005
• Aflatoxin and Fumonisin were again problems in
  many areas Aflatoxin in Texas and southeast.
  Fumonisin pockets in Midwest

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Risks

• Quality challenges and cost associated are
  higher every year
• Consumers and your customers are more educated
• Litigation is always a threat
• Lower toxin requirements pose challenges for
  some years finding fumonisin less than 1 ppm
  total some years is tough
• Corn supply and more uses for the corn supply
  may have an impact on the corn you receive.
  Perhaps now is a good time to review quality
  policy before potential corn supply is possibly
  stretched

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Things to remember about ethanol

• Toxins increase 3 to 5 fold in the DDGS
• When gas prices increase facilities have more
  options. Some facilities may have increased
  concern for co-product and some facilities may
  have less concern
• Many facilities are increasing storage
  capacity for raw materials
• Currently 130 plants in operation, 76 under
  construction, more permitted

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Possible Options

• Review current quality policy
• Know the final use of all of your products
• Know that some processes concentrate
  mycotoxins
• If you are running tests internally make sure
  they are as accurate as they can be. Dont
  forget about sampling and result validation.