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Huitlacoche (corn smut), caused by the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, as a functional food

Juárez-Montiel, Margarita; Ruiloba de León, Sandra; Chávez-Camarillo, Griselda; Hernández-Rodríguez, César; Villa-Tanaca, Lourdes

Published in Rev Iberoam Micol. 2011;28:69-73. - vol.28 núm 02

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Abstract

Background

In recent years the need has arisen to study and develop (or re-discover) foods that have nutritional characteristics as well as specific functions, such as improving health and/or reducing the risk of disease. For this reason knowledge of the nutritional value of food is important to promote greater consumer acceptance. In Mexico huitlacoche (also, cuitlacoche) has traditionally been prized as a delicacy since the time of the Aztecs and is currently being studied as a potential functional food and as a producer of natural bioactive substances that are used in fortifying foods.

Aims

To present an updated review about the properties of the huitlacoche (corn smut) as functional food.

Methods

A bibliographic search was performed and data were discussed.

Results

The data of the works reviewed here show that huitlacoche contains many compounds that confer to it unique organoleptic and nutraceutical characteristics.

Conclusions

The content of bioactive substances in huitlacoche supports the proposal that this is a good functional food as well as producer of compounds to enrich other foods.

Key words: Ustilago maydis. Phytopathogenic fungus. Huitlacoche. Corn smut. Functional food.

Introduction

The dimorphic fungus known as Ustilago maydis is responsible for the formation of corn smut, characterized by the formation of galls or tumors principally in ears, but also in stems and leaves of the plant host (Zea mays)⁴ (Figure 1). This disease is usually considered a world-wide disease; nevertheless it has been used as food in Mexico since pre-Columbian cultures²⁴. As a result its popular name, huitlacoche or cuitlacoche comes from the word Nahuatl (the language of the Mexicas or Aztecs) “cuitlacochin” or “cuitlacuchtli” that means “degenerate corn on the cob”. Also the significance of the word “cuitlatl” is “excrement”, and that of “cochi” is “black” or “dark”. In folk tales there are other interpretations of this term, including “crow filth” and “sleeping filth”. In Nahuatl, this disease was also designated “popoyauh” or “popoyotl”, meaning “burnt corn”. For the Mexican excrement was not only a waste product in the physical sense, it also had a spiritual sense in which it was considered a distillation of food, which explains the root of the word. Indeed, “cuitlatl” comes from the name of a Mexica (Aztec) emperor named Cuitlahuac³⁶^,³⁹. Figure 1. Characteristics of huitlacoche, galls on corn cob induced by the phytopathogenic fungus U. maydis. The use of huitlacoche as food has spread to the point that it is currently a culinary delight of international chefs due to the unique mixture of components that produce its flavor, aroma, and organoleptic characteristics²⁰. Determination of total proteins, amino acids, dietary fiber, carbohydrates and unsaturated...

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Juárez-Montiel, Margarita^a; Ruiloba de León, Sandra^a; Chávez-Camarillo, Griselda^a; Hernández-Rodríguez, César^a; Villa-Tanaca, Lourdes^a

^aDepartamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., México