The problem occurs when a mold named Aspergillus flavus feeds on the starch inside corn kernels and produces a chemical called aflatoxin that is a poison to many animals and to humans. This mold gets to the starch through cracks in the kernel hull caused by drought and through wounds caused by earworm feeding.

Aflatoxin will be produced as long as the mold feeds on corn in the field, on a truck after harvest, or in a grain storage tank. It will not stop until the corn is at or below 13 percent moisture.

The USDA has designed methods to protect humans and animals from contaminated corn and corn products.

One of the methods designed by FDA is to prevent grain merchants from buying corn containing 20 parts per billion or more aflatoxin. This minimizes aflatoxin contamination in food products such as corn meal.

This mold can grow on corn kernels in the field and on corn kernels stored in a truck or grain tank. The mold prefers to grow on 18-20 percent moisture corn kernels at around 85º F.

It grows slowly on 15 percent moisture corn and will not grow or grows very slowly on 13 percent moisture corn.

Farmers should dry freshly harvested corn to 15 percent moisture within 24 hours of harvest and dry corn to 13 percent for long term storage to stop growth of the mold and aflatoxin production.

This year, farmers should first harvest some dryland corn and have the grain tested for aflatoxin. If it is not contaminated, then the irrigated corn will probably not be contaminated. If the dryland corn is contaminated, farmers should then harvest some irrigated corn and test it for aflatoxin.

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If the irrigated corn has no aflatoxin, farmers should first harvest and sell the healthy corn or store it in separate bins and then harvest the contaminated corn and store it separate from the healthy corn.

Don’t blend contaminated and toxin free corn in a truck or grain bin because this may result in contamination of the entire truck load or bin of corn.

Click here for more information about aflatoxins in corn.

To avoid aflatoxin problems next year and beyond, farmers should only plant corn in fields that can be irrigated and treat growing corn for earworm if necessary. They may also consider planting corn varieties resistant to earworm – but the corn may still be contaminated with aflatoxin if not irrigated aggressively.

Again, corn farmers should beware of this problem and always dry corn to 15 percent moisture within 24 hours of harvest.

Following these suggested procedures will give corn farmers a better chance of producing aflatoxin-free corn during 2012.  FG

—From University of Missouri Division of Plant Sciences