Occurrence of zearalenone in wheat- and corn-based products commercialized in the State of Paraná, Brazil

The productivity of wheat and corn crops depends on climatic conditions and resistance against phytopathogenic fungi such as those of the genus Fusarium. Some species of this genus produce zearalenone (ZEA), a mycotoxin with hyperestrogenic effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of ZEA in samples of cracked wheat (n = 109), popcorn (n = 51) and corn grits (n = 50) commercialized in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Commercial samples of each crop were collected between September 2007 and June 2008 and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. The method used for detectio...