From:
http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/abs/10.4 ... =fopr-site" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Additionally, the various mycotoxins that have been studied possess wide differences in stability. For example, during the making of bread from wheat flour, up to 100% of ergot alkaloids are destroyed, whereas vomitoxin is stable
Makes me think not. If it's unlikely to survive baking, seems even less likely to survive mashing, boiling, even boiling twice...
If you read the full article, it says breadmaking destroys up to 85% of the ergot in rye bread.
How much would it take to hurt you?
Just using some hand wavey assumptions, ergot sclerotia are 2% alkaloid (max), and a typical toxic dose is 15 mg.
https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/ ... DOCNO+4076" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Ok, so I'm gonna wave my hand and just say that mashing and distilling is the same 85% destructive as baking. So to get 15mg it would take 5 grams of ergot sclerotia, per serving. But thats if it came over at all. It's a fair guideline for say making bread or drinking mash. 5 grams of ergot per rye bun.
But, ergotamine is an alkaloid, so at universally acidic wash ph it will be in salt form (just wave your hand if you want to quible about pka etc). Ergotamine salts are virtually insoluble in water, and only moderately soluble in pure alcohols (eg 1:300 for the tartrate salt in ethanol). They have high melting points, typically with decomposition before even melting much less boiling. All of which make it a very unlikely suspect for steam distillation. I'd say practically no ergotamine will distill over.
So it's heat liable, insoluble, and not volatile. Pretty much 0% risk. Don't eat bread or drink beer/wash/backset made with more than 5 grams ergot per serving. But I can't imagine not seeing 5 grams of dried fungus in a pound or 2 of grain. Picture a small handful of black/purple horns in a pound of grain, you'd see it for sure.
I couldnt find any info on ergotamine freebase, so if you are somehow distilling a very basic wash, all bets are off on maybe being able to distill ergotamine. But come on, you guys know what happens if you distill a very basic wash, you aint gonna do that on accident either.