The knowledgment about the impact of the sanitary quality of raw materials on their subproducts is very important for the industry and for the consumer. In order to determine the level of mold infection, 81 samples of corn, 81 of grits and 81 of corn meal were analysed weekly before and after processing, during 4 months. Kernels and grits from the corn samples were surface washed with a 2% solution of sodium hypochlorite, and plated on two kinds of media: potato dextrose agar and tomate juice agar. For corn meal samples, the surface washed step was skipped. After incubation at 25° C for 4-7 days fungi growing from the kernels, grits and corn meal were identified and counted. The fungi infecting corn kernels and grits belonged to the following genera: Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Mucor and Rhizopus. The corn meal samples present the highest percentage of mold infection, probably coming from the corn kernels and/or from the processing and storage conditions. The fungi isolated and identified from the samples of corn, grits and corn meal are normally found in storage products. Some of their species are toxigenics and might cause diseases in humans.
Mold; Corn; Grits