Fate of Trichothecenes B in Rice and Parboiling Process as a Mitigation Strategy

This study was designed to assess these two critical safety issues in the rice supply chain. First, DON and its acetylated derivatives, 3-ADON and 15-ADON, occurrence was evaluated in different commercial rice subgroups. Subsequently, DON migration dynamics during parboiling was investigated in rice samples from lowland and upland cultivars. These two main goals were designed to increase understanding of contamination risk in rice by trichothecenes and, subsequently, to enable the proposal of a mitigation strategy. The VA-MSPD trichothecenes determination method proved to be reliable and efficient to evaluate rice contamination, with recoveries between 73.4-117.4%. Approximately 43.3% of the commercial samples, obtained randomly from the local market, tested positive for DON and/or 15-ADON with contamination level below the LOQ (0.50 μg kg-1). Whole rice and whole parboiled rice subgroups showed highest incidence, 66.7% and 83.3%, respectively. During parboiling migration studies, milder conditions in gelatinization step had decreased DON migration into the starchy endosperm. With this condition, the mycotoxin remained in the bran in both cultivars (12.0 and 13.4%). Therefore, demonstrating that it is possible to mitigate mycotoxins in polished rice products with minor alterations to current supply chain processes and enhancing security of this staple food.