Occurrence of Alternaria and Other Toxins in Cereal Grains Intended for Animal Feeding Collected in Slovenia: A Three-Year Study.

Janja Babič,Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher,Katarina Kos,Franci Aco Celar,Breda Jakovac-Strajn,Tanja Knific

doi:10.3390/toxins13050304

Abstract

In recent years, the less-studied Alternaria mycotoxins have attracted increasing interest due to the lack of survey data and their ability to cause toxic effects in animals and humans. To fill the gap, the aim of this three-year survey was to investigate the presence and co-occurrence of Alternaria and other mycotoxins in a total of 433 cereal grain samples from Slovenian farms and agricultural cooperatives from 2014 to 2016. Using the multi-mycotoxin method, 14 mycotoxins were determined. In 53% of 433 analysed samples, contamination with at least one mycotoxin was found. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) were present in 32% and 26% of cereal grain samples, respectively, whereas alternariol (AOH), tentoxin (TEN), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3- and 15-AcDON), and zearalenone (ZEN) were present in fewer than 15% of the samples. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was found in one rye sample, while diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), HT-2 and T-2 toxin, and fumonisins B1 and B2 (FB1 and FB2) were not detected. The highest maximum and median concentrations of Alternaria toxins were determined in spelt in 2016 (TeA, 2277 µg/kg and 203 µg/kg, respectively), and those of Fusarium toxins in wheat in 2015 (DON, 4082 µg/kg and 387 µg/kg, respectively). The co-occurrence of two or more mycotoxins was found in 43% of the positive samples. The correlations between Alternaria toxins were very weak but statistically significant (r: 0.15–0.17, p: 0.0042–0.0165). A well-known correlation between Fusarium toxins DON and ZEN was weak and highly significant (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001).

Highlights

In 2009, Jakovac‐Strajn et al [40] investigated the presence of toxigenic moulds of the Alternaria toxins, the co-occurrence of pairs AOH–alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), TEN–AOH, and tenuazonic acid (TeA)–AME was genera Fusarium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria in cereals grown in Slovenia
Positive barley samples were mainly contaminated with DON, Fusarium spp. were the most widespread, but moulds of the genus Alternaria spp. were which co-occurred in 8% of cases with ZEN, while the co-occurrence with its metabolites found in 44% of the investigated samples and were identified as a potential risk of was not found
In 2009, Jakovac-Strajn et al [40] investigated the presence of toxigenic moulds of the genera Fusarium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria in cereals grown in Slovenia

Summary

Introduction

Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites of low molecular weight and can contaminate a wide range of food and feed commodities. Storage, and processing practices, contamination with mycotoxins is considered unavoidable. Exposure to these compounds is a significant threat to human and animal health and is associated with different acute or chronic mycotoxicoses [1,2,3]. Prevention of mycotoxin contamination in the field before harvest, during harvest, and during storage of commodities is one of the main objectives of the food and feed industry [8,9]. Mycotoxins present in products from animals fed contaminated feed (such as meat, eggs, and milk) can be consumed by humans [2,8,10,11]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion