Nivalenol: The Mycology, Occurrence, Toxicology, Analysis and Regulation

Abstract

Nivalenol (NIV) is a mycotoxin contaminated in wheat and barley affected by Fusarium head blight (FHB, Fig. 15.1). FHB is caused by the infection of wheat, barley and maize by Fusarium. Fusarium mycotoxins are produced in the infected plants and accumulate in agricultural products. The majority of Fusarium mycotoxins giving rise to food safety concerns are trichothecene mycotoxins possessing the 12,13-epoxy-trichothecene skeleton. These mycotoxins can be classified into two types: Type A including T2 toxin and HT2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol and neosolaniol, and Type B including deoxynivalenol (DON), NIV and fusarenon X (FX). The major pathogens causing FHB are Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum, which are highly phytopathogenic fungi distributed worldwide, and which mainly produce DON and NIV. In Japan, the occurrence of these fungi has long been reported, and both DON and NIV were discovered by Japanese researchers. Taking advantage of the head blight epidemic across Western Japan in 1963, Tatsuno et al. (1968) successfully isolated the toxigenic fungus, Fusarium nivale Fn-2B (renamed F. kyusyuense in 1998, Aoki and O'Donnell 1998). In 1972, Yoshizawa and Morooka (1973) discovered DON in wheat and barley affected by FHB. The discovery of DON revealed the co-contamination with DON and NIV in domestic wheat and barley, and triggered co-contamination surveys around the world.