Acta Pharm. 55 (2005) 349-356

Mould contamination and co-occurrence of mycotoxins in maize grain in Croatia

ANA-MARIJA DOMIJAN,^1* MAJA PERAICA,¹ BOGDAN CVJETKOVIC,² SUNCANA TURCIN,¹ ZELJKO JURJEVIC² and DARIO IVIC²

adomijan@imi.hr

¹ Unit of Toxicology, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
² Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Maize grain samples (n = 15) collected during the autumn of 2002 were analyzed for the presence of moulds and mycotoxins fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), fumonisin B₂ (FB₂), zearalenone (ZEA), and ochratoxin A (OTA). Mycological analysis showed that all samples were contaminated with Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp., while Aspergillus spp. were found in 5 samples. F. proliferatum and F. verticilloides, the producers of fumonisins, were found in 14 and 8 samples, respectively, while F. graminearum, the producer of ZEA, was present in all samples. The most frequent mycotoxins were FB₁ (15/15) and ZEA (12/15), followed by OTA (7/15), while FB₂ was found in only two samples. Seven samples were contaminated with two mycotoxins, seven with three, and one sample with only one mycotoxin. The concentrations (mean ± SD) of FB₁, ZEA, and OTA in positive samples were 459.5 ± 314.6, 1.70 ± 0.80, and 1.40 ± 0.55 microgram kg^-1, respectively, and the concentrations of FB₂ in two samples were 68.4 and 3084.0 microgram kg^-1. In general, such low mycotoxin concentrations are not a significant source of exposure to humans, but they may contribute to exposure from other commodities. A few samples with extreme values indicate that strict control is needed.

Keywords: fumonisin B₁, fumonisin B₂, maize, ochratoxin A, zearalenone