1. IntroductionMycotoxins as toxc secondary metabolites are included in over 300 chemical compounds. They are frequent contaminants of crops e. g., corn kernel, and tree nuts and fruits (1). Mycotoxins are produced by fungi species, which due to their thermo stability can remain present in food and crop commodities even after removing the fungus (2). Among mycotoxins, aflatoxin is a potent mycotoxin that is naturally produced from a number of fungi species e. g., Aspergillus species (3).The four major aflatoxins (AFs) i. e., aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2), are of great importance owing to the pose a considerable risk to human health and widespread occurrence (4). In addition, AFB1 is considered one of the most potent naturally produced carcinogens that are labeled as group 1 of carcinogenic compounds to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (5). In a putative pathway of carcinogenicity, AFB1 in cytochrome P450 is metabolized to AFB1-8-9-epoxide, and then covalently reacts with DNA (6). Therefore, the level of aflatoxins in food is regulated in more than 100 countries. For instance, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set the maximum allowable level of 20 µg/kg of the total concentration of aflatoxins (AFT) for all foods intended for human consumption (7). Also, the Food and Drug Administration of Iran (IFDA) defined a maximum level of 5 µg/kg for AFB1 and 15 µg/kg for an AFT in crops (8).Numerous studies have reported corn and corn flour contamination with AFs in Iran. For instance, (9) monitored the amount of AFB1 in corn samples from 2006 to 2008 in different regions of Iran i. e., Fars, Khuzestan, and Ardabil province in Iran. The authors found that the average AFB1 contamination was 0.9, 2.12, and 36.39 µg/kg for Fars; 14.41, 35.93, and 1.61 µg/kg for Khuzestan; 15.63, 57.67, and 154.13 µg/kg for Ardabil province. In another study, (10) collected corn samples, aimed at animal feed and human consumption, from Kermanshah and Mazandaran provinces, Iran, which were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for monitoring AFs contamination. In this regard, the authors reported that AFB1 was detected in 58.3% of the corn samples obtained from Kermanshah province. The maximum detected level of AFB1 and total level of AFs (AFT) contamination were 276.3 μg/kg and 316.9 μg/kg, respectively. Also, the average level of AFT from contaminated samples was 52.60 μg/kg which exceeded all the maximum permitted levels regulated for AFT.On the other hand, corn is widely used in the dry milling process to produce products for human consumption and animal feed. Corn dry milling is a four-step procedure that comprises grain handling and milling, liquefaction and saccharification, fermentation, and co-product recovery. In this regard, Ground corn is cooked and liquefied to dextrins, then dextrins are hydrolyzed into fermentable sugars using the saccharification process. During fermentation, the fermentable sugars by means of microorganisms such as saccharomyces cerevisiae are converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide (11). Also, it should be noted that the fermentation and hydrolysis process can take place separately, separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), or simultaneously, known as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) (7,12). Also, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are a co-product of dry-milled ethanol production and can be used as animal feed (13). Moreover, as we know, AFs are transferred and accumulated into different body parts after consumption and pose a major threat to human health as these toxins play a major role in a number of health problems e. g., cancer, blood, and nerve defects (14). Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and determine the distribution of AFs in the product of the corn dry milling.Therefore, this study aimed to contaminate a sample of corn with a high level of AFs using Aspergillus parasiticus and evaluate the fate of AFs during fermentation of corn using Saccharomyces cerevisiaeunder both enzymatic and acidic hydrolyses process of starch, based on corn dry milling process.