Fusarium fungi are among the most common moulds that can produce mycotoxins. Data on the occurrence of these mycotoxins, as well as their conjugated forms in cereals grown in Croatia, are still lacking, although several published studies have shown that Fusarium graminearum and (as a ZEN producent) and Fusarium culmorum (as a trichothecene producer) are the most widespread molds in Croatian crops. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of 16 Fusarium mycotoxins as well as their conjugated forms in maize (n=66), wheat (n=30), barley (n=17), triticale (n=12), and oats (n=12) harvested in three Croatian regions (East, North, and Central) which differ in climate during a one-year period. All samples were taken immediately after harvest and stored at -20 °C until liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The results revealed different contamination patterns between the analyzed cereals, except for wheat and triticale, which exhibited the same pattern. The most prevalent mycotoxin in wheat and triticale samples was deoxynivalenol (DON), at 73.3% and 91.7%, respectively, followed by deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3G) and HT-2 toxin. In barley samples, the prevalence of DON and DON-3G was 55.6% and 44.4%, respectively; however, in contrast to wheat and triticale samples, ZEN-14 sulfate was detected as the third most prevalent mycotoxin. The analysis of maize samples indicated that this grain is more susceptible to fumonisin contamination, as fumonisin B1 and B2 were the most frequently occurring mycotoxins in these samples, with prevalence rates of 85.1% and 34.3%, respectively. The data obtained in this trial are pointing that the contamination patterns of wheat, triticale, and barley are similar but differ from the contamination pattern of maize, although further research is necessary to confirm these findings on a representative number of samples. These results could be used to establish a link between climatic conditions and the occurrence of mycotoxins.
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Prevalence of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals harvested in Croatia
Published:
08 September 2025
by MDPI
in The 3rd International Online Conference on Toxins
session Impact of Toxins on Agriculture
Abstract:
Keywords: maize; wheat; trichothecenes; fumonisins; zearalenone; prevalence
