Consequences of the presence of toxicogenic mold fungi in grain

Abstract

Goal. To study how the content of fusarium grains and the products of the vital activity of the Fusarium fungus in wheat changes during its storage. To establish within what limits the number of mycotoxins in wheat grains grown in the Vinnytsia region varies. Methods. Grains with signs of fusarium were identified in samples isolated from average samples using a magnifying glass (magnification 4.5 times) and a microscope of the MBS type (magnification 100–150 times) under sufficient lighting. The presence of mycotoxins was determined by the immunoenzymatic method, which involved the use of test systems and the Sunrise analyzer. Results. Among wheat grain samples examined in 2019, 45.2% were affected by the fusarium fungus, 71.4% of those examined in 2020, and 87.5% of those examined in 2021. That is, there is a tendency to increase the amount of grain affected by fungi of the genus Fusarium. But if in 2019 there were samples with a share of fusarium grain up to 11%, and in 2020 — up to 18, then in 2021 the maximum damage was 8.1%. That is, there are various factors influencing the spread of these mushrooms, and they must be studied. It was established that during the storage of wheat, which contained 0.7% of fusarium grain, its infection with the fungus increased — that was confirmed by the increase in the index of waste admixture. In such a grain, the mass fraction of protein decreased and the number of mycotoxins increased. Thus, the content of deoxynivalenone can increase to 2.92 mg/kg, i.e. 2.6 times, which significantly exceeds its permissible level (1–2 mg/kg) in fodder grain. The conducted studies, during which it was established that in wheat grain, which was put into storage and contained 0.5% of Fusarium grain, the content of deoxynivalenone increased by 3-4 times, zearalenone — by 7.3, and T2 toxin — by 30 times. Conclusions. Over the past three years, they observed an increase in the contamination of grain crops with Fusarium wilt and, as a result, an increase in the content of mycotoxins in it. It was established that in grain affected by 0.5% Fusarium wilt after 3 months, the storage may contain up to 3.51 mg/kg of deoxynivalenone, 3.51 of zearalenone, and up to 0.6 mg/kg of T2 toxin. It should be remembered that the grain that is put into storage and already contains mycotoxins will accumulate them in the future, therefore, control of such grain for the number of fungal by-products is mandatory.