Monitoring of fumonisins incidence in native corn for domestic food consumed by the small organic producer’s family, after the application process of the Integrated System for the Prevention and Control of Mycotoxins in Corn (SIPCMMA)

Reduction of fumonisins in native maize crops through integrated management in the inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia

Abstract

Corn constitutes the nutritional base in more than 75% of the producers of this crop in the rural population from the inter Andean valleys of Bolivia, based on a daily consumption and in different forms of culinary preparation; nevertheless it is a food at great risk to mycotoxins contamination, causing a group of diseases and disorders highly toxic and hazardous for humans and animals. (Soriano del Castillo et. al, 2007).   Studies carried out by Foundation Valles during the 2012 and 2013 reveals that fumonicins have been detected in 100% of the corn samples at levels that exceed the Maximum Permissible Limit (MPL), causing a high risk for the families’ health, a maximum permissible limit of 1ppm is recommended by the Bolivian standards.    During 2016, after development and application of the Integrated System for the Prevention and Control of Mycotoxins in Corn (SIPCMMA), 174 corn samples produced by small farmers that implemented, from inter-Andean valleys from the municipalities of Alcala, Icla, Padilla and Valle Serrano in the Department of Chuquisaca and from the municipality of Mizque in the Department of Cochabamba, have been analyzed in laboratory under the ELISA Assay Fumonisin method.  The results of  the  fumonicins incidence monitoring study show that SIPCMMA implementation has achieved to reduce corn fumonicin presence to 36% in the studied population;  however, despite the efforts made with the system implementation, this percentage continues with levels above the1ppm  permissible limit, being the  municipality of Alcala with the lowest incidence with  27% of the sample showed  levels above the Maximum Permissible Limit, and the municipality of Mizque with the highest incidence with 50%.  the presence of fumonicin continues to be present above the threshold permitted level of 1ppm, for this reason it will be important to establish a new monitoring and evaluation of SIPCMMA efficiency in the municipalities that the project is working with, in order to determine the possible causes in the fumonicin incidence in levels higher at the MPL. The threat of corn fuminicin incidence will be ongoing, therefore it is necessary to continue the investigations, in order to adjust the prevention system, considering different intervention contexts.