Occurrence of mycotoxins in feed grain before and after storage time

Nadezhda Sertova, Maya Ignatova

Abstract: The samples of barley and wheat contaminated with mycotoxins produced by Fussarium and
Aspergilus spp. were included in this experiment. The analyzes were carried out in freshly harvested
samples in 2019 and after storage of two years in 2021. The samples were collected from all regions of
Bulgaria. In the samples, the following mycotoxins were detected such as zearalenone and aflatoxins
by Enzyme Linked Immunisorbent Assay method. The highest zearalenone concentration of 156.78
μg/kg was proved in barley samples followed of 143 μg/kg in wheat samples. The highest detected
concentration of aflatoxins was 11.55 μg/kg in barley and 10.40 μg/kg in wheat. After two-year storage
period, the samples were analyzed again. Zearalenone detected in barley samples was ranging from
90.25–125.30 μg/kg and in wheat samples from 76.58–116.10 μg/kg, while aflatoxins were detected
only in wheat samples in the range 3.73–4.63 μg/kg. The established levels of contamination are lower
than those referenced in the European regulations. The results have shown that barley and wheat lead
to an increase in the concentration of mycotoxins after two years of storage, which could has a direct
influence on the feed safety and animal health.

Keywords: barley; mycotoxins; storage; wheat

Date published: 2022-04-26