Occurrence of zearalenone in maize and millet grains and their derived porridges marketed in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

Zearalenone is an endocrine-disrupting mycotoxin commonly found in cereals. The objective of this work was to evaluate zearalenone levels in maize and millet grains, and their porridges to measure the impact of the preparation processes of these porridges on the occurrence of zearalenone. The sampling was realized according to the regulation (EC) No 401/2006 of the European commission. Zearalenone concentration in commodities was determined using HPLC/UV. Zearalenone concentrations were compared with the Maximum Tolerable Limits (MTLs) of zearalenone established by European Union (EC) No1881/2006. The average zearalenone levels in the grains were 82.83 µg/Kg (maize) and 141.88 µg/Kg (millet). These levels were below the MTL in the case of maize, and above the MTL concerning millet. Average zearalenone levels in porridges were 11.70 µg/Kg < MTLs (maize) and 36.16 µg/Kg > Infant Maximum Tolerable Limit (IMTL) of millet. Zearalenone concentrations in millet grains were higher than in maize grains. Zearalenone levels in maize and millet-based porridges were low compared with their respective basic commodities. The processing techniques used for porridges, removed 85.88-93.67% of zearalenone from maize, and 74.51-76.66% of zearalenone from millet. Despite this significant reduction, the average zearalenone content in millet-based porridge was above the IMTL (20 µg/Kg).