Levels of total fumonisins in maize samples from Italy during 2006-2008.

We analysed a total of 2258 grain samples over a 3-year period (2006-2008) from 93 storage centers in the principal maize cultivation area of Italy to establish the levels of fumonisin contamination. Fumonisin concentrations were measured using ELISA (RIDASCREEN) fumonisin test kits. Mean levels of contamination were remarkably high in each year, with the highest value in 2006 (10.9 mg/kg) and the lowest in 2008 (4.8 mg/kg). Similarly, for each year, variations were quite large: from

Characterization of maize germplasm for the chemical composition of the grain.

The aim of this research was the evaluation of food grain quality-related traits in a collection of maize populations of different origins, currently used in the framework of breeding and genetic programs. A total of 1245 maize samples were scanned by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to develop calibration equations to evaluate the content of crude protein, crude lipid, starch, and floatation area. The performances of the NIR equations developed in our study were assessed using the determination coefficient of cross-validation r(2) (ranging from 0.66 to 0.91) and the ratio of performance deviation (1.71-3.31) in flour starch and grain crude protein, respectively. Among the genotypes considered, 93 landraces belonging to the European Union Maize Landraces Core Collection (EUMLCC) were also analyzed for their content of lutein, zeaxanthin, and total carotenoids. Among the populations of the collection, several accessions, interesting from a nutritional point of view, were identified: VA25, VA158, VA282, VA284, VA285, VA567, VA572, VA814, VA950, VA1057, and VA1179. They showed protein and lipid contents ranging between 12.52 and 15.16% and 5.26 and 7.17%. The range of variation observed for antioxidants in the EUMLCC was quite large. Lutein varied between 1.03 and 21.00 mg kg(-1) dm, zeaxanthin varied between 0.01 and 35.00 mg kg(-1) dm, and total carotenoids ranged from 1.09 to 61.10 mg kg(-1) dm. Recently, a single cross-hybrid was developed from the ITA0370005 population; this hybrid had a high carotenoids content and is currently being used by the Italian food industry.