Occurrence of moniliformin, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.).

Forty-eight durum wheat samples from 5 locations in Austria were examined forFusarium infection andFusarium toxin content.F.gramlnearum andF.avenaceum were by far the prevailingFusarium species In durum wheat kernels, followed byEpoae, F.culmorum, andF.equlsetl. Ion-paired HPLC analyses of the samples showed moniliformin contents of kernels up to 0.88 mg/kg. All moniliformin contaminated samples also contained high levels of deoxynivalenol (up to 8.2 mg/kg) and lower levels of zearalenone (<0.33 mg/kg). The levels of zearalenone in naturally contaminated durum wheat samples did not correspond to the high yields of zearalenone found in cultures of the fusaria isolated from the durum wheat kernels. These conflicting results as well as some toxicologlcal aspects of the carry over ofFusarium toxins from durum wheat kernels into pasta are discussed.