Development and certification of a reference material for zearalenone in maize germ oil

Zearalenone (ZEN), an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several species of Fusarium fungi, is a common contaminant of cereal-based food worldwide. Due to frequent occurrences associated with high levels of ZEN, maize oil is a particular source of exposure. Although a European maximum level for ZEN in maize oil exists according to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1126/2007 along with a newly developed international standard method for analysis, certified reference materials (CRM) are still not available. To overcome this lack, the first CRM for the determination of ZEN in contaminated maize germ oil (ERM®-BC715) was developed in the frame of a European Reference Materials (ERM®) project according to the requirements of ISO Guide 35. The whole process of CRM development including preparation, homogeneity and stability studies, and value assignment is presented. The assignment of the certified mass fraction was based upon an in-house study using high-performance liquid chromatography isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Simultaneously, to support the in-house certification study, an interlaboratory comparison study was conducted with 13 expert laboratories using different analytical methods. The certified mass fraction and expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of ERM®-BC715 (362 ± 22) μg kg−1 ZEN are traceable to the SI. This reference material is intended for analytical quality control and contributes to the improvement of consumer protection and food safety. Graphical abstract

Performance of european laying quail fed with diets containing maize germ meal

The objective of the research was to study the effect of substitution of maize for maize germ meal in laying European quail diets. 240 female quails were used in a randomized design with three treatments and eight replications, containing 10 birds per plot. The treatments consisted of a maize and soybean meal-based reference diet and two levels of substitution of maize for maize germ meal, 50 and 100%. Evaluated parameters were: number of eggs per bird housed, laying rate, feed intake, feed conversion, weight of egg, yolk, albumen and shell, and yolk pigmentation. Parameters were evaluated using analysis of variance and Tukey test, with the significance level set at 5%. In the two laying cycles studied there was a difference in the number of eggs, percentage of laying, feed conversion, weight of egg, yolk and shell and yolk pigmentation. The replacement of maize by maize germ meal in diets for laying European quail can be carried out up to 100%, producing improvement in the productive performance of the birds and in egg quality.

Comparison of Physicochemical, Functional and Nutritional Properties between Proteins of Soybean and a Novel Mixture of Soybean-Maize

Vegetable proteins are potential low-cost alternatives to solve the protein deficiency of the world population. A protein extracted from a mixture of soybean meal and maize germ was developed to offer more protein alternatives with high nutritional value. In this study, physicochemical, functional, and nutritional characteristics of isolates and hydrolysates of soybean and counterparts extracted from a soybean meal-maize germ were compared. The isolate and hydrolysate of the soybean-maize blend had a protein content of 93.9% and 73.6%, respectively. These protein mixtures contained 10% and 52% more solubility, 303.9%, and 22.7% more emulsifying capacity, 4.5% and 4.2% higher foam density and 36.3% and 1.2% more coagulation capacity compared to the soybean isolate and hydrolysate. Electrophoretic profiles of soybean-maize proteins showed four additional bands to the typical soybean pattern of 56, 55, 52 and 18 kDa, which could correspond to globulins and zeins from maize. The isolate extracted from the mixture of soybean meal and maize is a new alternative to provide the necessary amino acids for proper physical and mental development. Additionally, it has a high potential to be used as an ingredient by the food industry due to its excellent functionality and nutritional value.

Effect of Stored Humidity and Initial Moisture Content on the Qualities and Mycotoxin Levels of Maize Germ and Its Processing Products

With high fat and protein content, maize germ is easily infected with fungus and mycotoxins during its storage. The qualities and safety of germ and its processing products may be affected by the storage. However, studies on the effect of storage on quality and polluted mycotoxin level of maize germ are limited. In this study, maize germ was stored with different initial moisture contents (5.03, 9.07, 11.82 and 17.97%) or at different relative humidity (75, 85 and 95%) for 30 days. The quality indices of germ (moisture content and crude fat content) and their produced germ oils (color, acid value and peroxide value) as well as the zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) levels of germ, oils and meals were analyzed. Results showed that maize germ with high initial moisture contents (11.82, 17.97%) or kept at high humidity (95%) became badly moldy at the end of storage. Meanwhile, the qualities of these germ and oils showed great changes. However, the ZEN and DON contents of this maize germ, oils and meals stayed at similar levels (p < 0.05). Therefore, the storage could produce influence on the qualities of germ and oils, but showed limited effect on the DON and ZEN levels of germ and their processing products. According to this study, the storage condition of germ with no more than 9% moisture content and no higher than 75% humidity was recommended. This study would be benefit for the control of germ qualities and safety during its storage.

Evaluation of bioavailability of selected minerals from Maize Germ Oilcake in crossbred male calves

The objective of this study was to determine the bioavailability of selected minerals from Maize Germ Oilcake. Fifteen Karan Fries male calves of 6-12 months of age were selected and given 1.3, 1.7 and 2.1 kg/d of maize germ oilcake (MGOC) along with 1.7, 1.3 and 0.9 kg/d of wheat straw (WS) in three groups of 5 animals each for 21 days of adaptation period followed by 7 days of metabolism trial. Digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), ether extract (EE) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) varied significantly between the groups. Apparent absorption values of Calcium (Ca), Phosphorus (P), Magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo) and Zinc (Zn) for maize germ oil cake were in the range of 51.31-56.32%, 44.16-46.16%, 46.09-46.75%, 8.39-12.73%, 7.21-9.59%, 3.38-5.18%, 25.26-27.84%, 46.45-48% and 25.54-26.49%. Addition of maize germ oil cake at varying levels did not have variations in the apparent absorption of minerals.