Presence of deoxynivalenol in bread in Serbia during 2018-2019

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of several mycotoxins produced by certain Fusarium species that frequently infect wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley and other grains in the field or during storage. DON affects animal and human health causing vomiting, acute temporary nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness and fever. Wheat flour and wheat flour-based products, such is bread take an essential place in Serbian diet which raises exposure level of total population in cases of higher contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of DON in wheat flour bread. In this study, a total of 210 samples of wheat flour bread were collected in the period of 2018-2019. All samples were analyzed for DON by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. DON was detected in 47 out of 210 wheat flour bread samples (22.38%), at levels ranging from 81 to 214 μg/kg. The maximum contamination level of DON (214 μg/kg) in this study was found in wholemeal bread. These results suggest not very high percentage of contaminated samples. However, the level of contamination was higher in wholemeal bread than in white bread, which raises a risk for consumers of bread made of whole wheat flour.