Tracking Zearalenone and Type-B Trichothecene Mycotoxins in the Commercial Production of Beer and Brewers’ Spent Grains

Abstract

The contamination of brewers’ spent grains (BSG) with mycotoxins may pose a significant threat to the health of domestic animals that consume BSG as feed. New information is needed regarding the presence of mycotoxins throughout commercial beer and BSG production. Samples (n = 106) were collected during production of a single batch of commercial beer, including malt (n = 54), mash (n = 6), wort (n = 6), fermentation, (n = 14), beer (n = 3), and BSG (n = 23) and analyzed for the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxnivalenol (3ADON), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15ADON), and zearalenone (ZEN) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). DON, 3ADON, 15ADON, and ZEN were observed at low levels (<0.05 mg kg−1) throughout the production of the beer. Despite most of the samples having low levels of mycotoxins, qualitative analyses showed trace levels of DON, 15ADON, and ZEN in barley malt, solid-fractions of mash, and BSG. Overall, results from this study suggest that low-levels of mycotoxins are retained in BSG, which may consumed by livestock. Results may help brewers and animal producers to consider storage and feeding procedures for BSG.