Occurrence of deoxynivalenol and its 3-β-D-glucoside in wheat and maize

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol-3-β-D-glucoside (D3G), a phase II plant metabolite of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), occurs in naturally Fusarium-contaminated cereals. In order to investigate the frequency of occurrence as well as the relative and absolute concentrations of D3G in naturally infected cereals, 23 wheat samples originating from fields in Austria, Germany and Slovakia as well as 54 maize samples from Austrian fields were analysed for DON and D3G by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Both analytes were detected in all the 77 field samples. DON was found at levels from 42 to 4130 ng g⁻¹ (977 ± 1000 ng g⁻¹ on average). The D3G concentrations in all cereal samples were in the range 10–1070 ng g⁻¹ (216 ± 253 ng g⁻¹ on average), corresponding to about 5–46 mol% of their DON concentrations (15 ± 8 mol% on average).

Keywords:

• liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS)
• cereals
• mycotoxins–Fusarium

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Government of Lower Austria, the Christian Doppler Society, and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for financial support. They also thank Dr Karl Mayer of the Styrian Chamber of Agriculture for provision of the maize samples.