Mycotoxins
Official aflatoxin results are provided by FGIS for this 2018/2019 Export Cargo Report. For the aflatoxin testing, a sample of at least 10 pounds of shelled corn is used according to FGIS official procedures. The 10-pound sample is ground using a FGIS-approved grinder. Following the grinding stage, two 500-gram ground portions are removed from the 10-pound comminuted sample using a riffle divider. From one of the 500-gram ground portions, a 50-gram test portion is randomly selected for testing. After adding the proper extraction solvent to the 50-gram test portion, aflatoxins are quantified. The following FGIS-approved quantitative test kits may have been used: Charm Sciences, Inc. ROSA® FAST, WET-S3 or WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Tests; EnviroLogix, Inc. QuickTox™ Kit for QuickScan Aflatoxin Flex AQ 309 BG; Neogen Corporation Reveal Q+ MAX for Aflatoxin, Reveal Q+ for Aflatoxin, or Veratox® Aflatoxin Quantitative Test (8030 or 8035); R-Biopharm, Inc. RIDASCREEN® FAST Aflatoxin ECO; Romer Labs, Inc. FluoroQuant Afla or AgraStrip Total Aflatoxin Quantitative Test WATEX; or VICAM AflaTest™ or Afla-V AQUA.For the DON testing, the FGIS-approved EnviroLogix QuickTox™/QuickScan method is used. A minimum of a 1,000-gram sample of shelled corn (obtained by dividing the original sample) is ground to a particle size which would pass through a No. 20 wire mesh sieve and divided down to a 50-gram test portion using a Romer Model 2A sampling mill. The 50-gram test portion is then processed as the FGIS DON Handbook requires. DON is extracted with distilled water (5:1), and the extract is tested using the EnviroLogix AQ 304 BG test kits. The DON is quantified by the QuickScan system.
A letter of performance has been issued by FGIS for the quantification of DON using the EnviroLogix AQ 304 BG kit.