Study on Fusarium toxins contamination of cereal grains in Jiangsu Province, China.

Abstract

Jiangsu Province is located in the transition zone from subtropical to warm temperate zone, with the characteristics of monsoon climate. The province's natural ecological conditions are suitable for the production of winter wheat and rice. In this region, the warm and humid climate is very suitable for the plant epidemics such as Fusarium head blight (FHB). Fusarium mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium species; and can cause acute and chronic toxic effects on the body and are a threat to humans and animal health. Therefore, knowledge about the prevalence of FHB-producing Fusarium species, incidence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins as well as possible influencing factors is imperative for preventing influx of contaminated grains into food supply chain. The present study focuses on the occurrence of Fusarium species coupled with contamination levels of Fusarium mycotoxins from different Jiangsu Province, China for three years, and the influences of rainfall and temperature on accumulation of DON. In addition, Fusarium strains were isolated from rice and assessed for the potential to produce fumonisins and beauvericin. The findings of this study increase the knowledge on important rice fungal pathogens and provide relevant information on the high variability of these pathogens, as well as their implications for the development of further diseases. The ICS test developed in our study has advantages, such as rapid and efficient screening of samples. The data obtained from the ICS test shows good agreement with LC-MS/MS data. These results showed that the ICS test is suitable for on-site monitoring of ZEN.