Fusarium mycotoxins in forage maize - Detection and evaluation.

The deoxynivalenol concentrations found in forage maize ranged between 0.24 and 14.29 mg/kg DM (detected by ELISA). When highly contaminated samples were analysed for deoxynivalenol by HPLC or LC-MS the resulting concentrations were in the mean about 50% lower. Furthermore, using LC-MS other type-A and type-B trichothecenes, zearalenone and α-zearalenol were found in these samples. The differences between ELISA and HPLC/LC-MS data for deoxynivalenol are assumed to result from cross-reactions of other trichothecenes with the antibodies used in ELISA and toxin losses from sample purification procedures needed for HPLC and LC-MS analysis.