Occurrence of fumonisin B1 and B2 in beer.

A total of 29 nationally distributed brands of beer, representing 25 domestic US and four imported brands, were purchased in retail outlets in Lincoln, Nebraska and analysed for concentrations of fumonisin B1(FB1) and B2(FB2). Immunoaffinity column extraction and cleanup of fumonisins from the beer samples, coupled with detection and analysis by gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), provided a limit of quantitation for each toxin of 0.3 ng/ml. Of the brands of beer sampled, 86% were positive for FB1 and 41% were positive for FB2. No beer contained a detectable quantity of FB2 without a detectable quantity of FB1. The total fumonisin (FB1 + FB2) content of positive samples ranged from 0.3 to 12.7 ng/ml, with a mean concentration for all positive samples of 4.0 +/- 3.4 ng/ml (n = 25). Considering that the level of fumonisin contamination of corn in recent harvest years has been minimal, the results of this limited survey could represent levels associated with current agricultural and brewing practices.