Presence of aflatoxins and deoxynivalenol in seeds of maize, spelt wheat and soya bean - preliminary research

Abstract

Mycotoxins naturally contaminate plant - based food. Since organic production does not allow the use of synthetic pesticides in plant protection, many researchers state that organically produced foods are more contaminated with mycotoxins than conven­tional ones. In this regard, the aim of this study was to observe the content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 and deoxynivalenol, as the most common mycotoxins, in organically and conventionally produced seeds of maize, spelt wheat and soya been during the 2015-2017 period. The HPLC/FLD and HPLC/DAD were used to determine the presence of aflatoxins and deoxynivalenol, respectively. The highest number of samples was not positive to the presence of these mycotoxins. Aflatoxin B1 (1.16 μg/kg) and deoxynivalenol (101.53 μg/kg) were detected only in the sample of organic maize harvested in 2015. Based on obtained results, no conclusion can be drawn on the effects of organic and conventional production on contents of mycotoxins in seeds of maize, spelt wheat and soya bean, and further long-term studies are required.

Keywords

• aflatoxins
• deoxynivalenol
• maize
• spelt wheat
• soya bean