Possible way of zearalenone migration in the agricultural environment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to elucidate the zearalenone (ZEA) migration in the agricultural environment, from the field (wheat, corn), through soil and ending in water. All samples were collected in the agricultural area of Western Poland in period between March 2010 and December 2012 (three-year study). Determination of ZEA in environmental samples, after extraction and purification, was carried out with use of high-performance liquid chromatography. The toxin content in water samples was between 0.5 and 4.9 ng/L and increases in the late summer and autumn (after harvest). The results clearly indicate that ZEA concentration in surface waters depends on many factors, of which the most important include weather conditions, the seasons and intensity of rainfall, and it is possibly related to scab severity of cereals and the toxin biosynthesis.

Keywords

• mycotoxins
• water pollution
• estrogenic properties
• toxicity
• fusarium