Abstract
This study was carried out in order to investigate the natural occurrence of toxigenic fungi and levels of zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in the maize stored immediately after harvesting in 2016 and used for animal feed in Serbia. A total of 22 maize samples were collected from four different districts across the country: City of Belgrade (nine samples), Sumadija (eight samples), Podunavlje (four samples) and Kolubara (one sample). Toxigenic fungi were identified according to the morphological characteristics whereas the mycotoxins contamination were detected using biochemistry enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent (ELISA) assay. The tested samples were mostly infected with Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium spp., except that one sample originated from Kolubara was not contaminated with Aspergillus species. Fusarium graminearum was the most common species in the maize sample from Kolubara district (60%), F. verticillioides in the maize samples from Podunavlje (43.75%) and City of Belgrade (22.4%) districts, and Penicillium spp. in the maize samples from Sumadija district (26.38%). In the analysed maize samples the presence of Aspergillus species was low (0-1.78%). Mycotoxicological analysis revealed the presence of zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in all the investigated samples, except that DON and AFB1 were not recorded in the samples from Podunavlje and Kolubara districts, respectively. The investigated samples were highly contaminated with ZEA, with incidence of 100% for the samples from Sumadija, Podunavlje and Kolubara districts and 88.89% for the samples from City of Belgrade district. In addition, the samples contamination with DON was 100% and 22.2% for the samples from Sumadija, Kolubara and City of Belgrade, districts, respectively. The highest number of AFB1 positive samples was found in Sumadija district (87.5%), while in the City of Belgrade and Podunavlje districts, 55.56% and 50% AFB1 positive samples were established, respectively. Generally, remarkable infection of all the tested samples with toxigenic fungal species from Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium genera were recorded. In addition, high contamination with mycotoxins ZEA, DON and AFB1 were also recorded; nevertheless, only in one sample the level of DON exceeded the allowed legal limit (1750 ?g kg-1) according to Regulation for unprocessed maize. Therefore, permanent mycological and mycotoxicological analyses of maize grain are necessary for risk assessment of fungal and mycotoxin contamination throughout the food chain.
Highlights
Maize as the most important crop in diet for humans and animals is grown on an area of about 1.03 million hectares in Serbia (Statistical Yearbook of Serbia, 2017)
The aim of this research was to establish the presence of toxigenic fungal species and the level of some mycotoxins (ZEA, DON and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)) in maize grain samples which were used for animal feed and to assess the risk of possible harmful effects of these contaminants in four districts of Serbia
Mycological analyses confirmed the presence of Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium spp. in the maize grain samples from all investigated districts, except in the maize grain sample from Kolubara district, in which Aspergillus species were not identified
Summary
Maize as the most important crop in diet for humans and animals is grown on an area of about 1.03 million hectares in Serbia (Statistical Yearbook of Serbia, 2017). Maize grain as a rich source of nutrients represents a very good substrate for the development of toxic fungi (moulds) from the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. These moulds are producers of secondary metabolites (mycotoxins). The most commonly detected mycotoxins in maize grain are fumonisins, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), and aflatoxins (Covarelli et al, 2011). Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a 4-hydroxylated metabolite of AFB1, which is excreted into milk through diet for dairy cows and represents a potential human carcinogen (Britzi et al, 2013). Zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are produced mainly by F. graminearum, and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus (Nuryono et al, 2005; Zain, 2011). The harmful effects of aflatoxins, ZEA and trichothecenes on human and animal health are globally known (Khatoon et al, 2012)
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