Mycotoxins in lithuanian cereals and grain products

Abstract

The central goal of grain cultivation is the production of high-quality food-related raw materials for the processing industry. Natural toxins, such as mycotoxins, have emerged as a significant factor affecting the safety image of cereal grains as a raw material for the food and feed industry. Previous studies in Lithuania (Bakutis and Januškevičienė 1997; Keblys et al. 2000; Baliukonienė et al. 2003; Gaurilčikienė et al. 2005; Semaškienė et al. 2005; Mankevičienė et al. 2006, 2007) and other European countries (Park et al. 1996; Muller et al. 1998; Döll et al. 2002; Schollenberger et al. 2002) as well as globally (Webley and Jackson 1998; Bennett and Klich 2003) have shown that there is reason to focus on Fusarium toxins and their appearance. A planned European Union directive will specify the maximum limits for trichothecenes such as deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin and for zearalenone (ZEN) and fumonisins. DON is the most frequently found contaminant of barley, wheat, oats and corn throughout the world (Scott 1989; Eskola 2002). In addition to DON, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin and ZEN frequently occur in cereal crops cultivated in northern temperate regions (Muller et al. 1998; Grabarkiewicz-Szczesna et al. 2001; Rasmussen et al. 2003; Edwards 2004; Hietaniemi et al. 2004). Fumonisins cause more extensive problems in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern (Shephard et al. 1996). The most frequently isolated Fusarium species are Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium poae, Fusarium eqiseti and Fusarium proliferatum (Eriksen and Alexander 1998; Eskola et al. 2001; Creppy 2002). © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.