Abstract:

Objective: To survey contamination level of Fusarium toxins in maize and wheat from Anhui and Henan province. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and HPLC were applied for the detection and determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenol (ZEN) in maize and wheat respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 10.0 software. Results: The average contents of DON and ZEN in maize and corn from Anhui and Henan province were 424.0 and 187.2 μg/kg, and the contamination rates were 76.7% and 75.3%, respectively. In contrast, the average contents of DON and ZEN in maize and wheat from other provinces were 52.2 and 24.1 μg/kg, and the contamination rates were 60% and 70%, respectively. Conclusion: The contamination levels of DON and ZEN in maize and wheat from Anhui and Henan province are much higher than those from other provinces, and ZEN exhibits a higher percentage of exceeding the level specified in the Chinese National Standard compared with DON.

Key words: Fusarium toxins, maize and wheat, contamination level