The presence of fumonisin has not been regulated in the legislation of the Republic of Serbia. Therefore, the data on contamination of cereals, especially corn, which is highly susceptible to contamination by this toxin, are not sufficient. This paper presents the results of testing the corn samples collected in the autumn 2009 on the territory of Bačka. Samples were analyzed for the contents of fumonisins and it was determined whether there is a correlation between the moisture content, total number and class of fungi, as well as the content of aflatoxin, ochratoxin and zearalenone. Using enzymatic immunoaffinity method it was discovered that the highest percentage of samples were contaminated with fumonisins, which was probably due to the presence of Fusarium molds as the most abundant ones. The positive samples contained fumonisin in the concentrations from 0.030 to 1.52 mg kg−1. The influence of the climate and moisture content of grain on fungal contamination and mycotoxin production was analyzed in order to investigate the predictability of the presence of mycotoxins

The incidence of mycobiota on common wheat (Triticum aestivum) and spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) samples, collected during the harvest in 2015, was investigated. The obtained results showed that more genera of mycobiota were isolated from the common wheat grains than from the spelt grains. The most frequently isolated species from common wheat grains belonged to genus Alternaria (41.7%), followed by Fusarium (15.2%), while the incidence of this mycobiota on the spelt grains were 32.4% and 10.4%, respectively. Aspergillus flavus was identified in 40.0% wheat samples, with the incidence of 2.0%. Additionally, this study was undertaken in respect of the occurrence and toxigenic potential of A. flavus isolates from these small grain cereals. A simple screening method was applied to determine toxigenic profiles (aflatoxins production) of A. flavus isolates from common wheat. The results revealed the importance of precise investigation of mycobiota distribution on common wheat and spelt grains, and especially the investigation of toxigenic potential of A. flavus.

In order to develop rapid, inexpensive and, at the same time, reliable method for the analysis of molds of the genus Fusarium as an indicator of the presence of fumonisins in corn samples, possible application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique was examined. The content of fumonisins in contaminated corn samples had previously been quantified by ELISA method. At the spectrum of the sample contaminated with a high concentration of mycotoxins, there was a lack of the peak at 1,743 cm -1 , but the peak was observed at 1709 cm -1 . To the purpose of result classification the principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were applied. Conclusions of the two methods were similar both when applying ATR technique in the whole region of the spectrum (1,150-1,770 cm -1 ) and when the whole spectrum was divided into two regions: 1,150-1,450 and 1,450-1,770 cm -1 . However, classification of samples was somewhat better in the ranges 1,150-1,770 and 1,450-1,770 cm -1 . Of the 16 analyzed corn samples, only very contaminated corn sample with 190 mg/kg was correctly classified as compared to the other samples with the content of less than 10 mg/kg. Also, it was found that evaluation of fumonisins in corn by this technique requires further investigation encompassing recording of spectra of contaminated corn of the same genotype in order to avoid the possible impact of different hybrids on the spectrum.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a part of the family of mycotoxins called trichothecenes which are produced by a number of different Fusarium mold species. The presence of DON in 25 wheat and 25 maize samples was examined by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods. The presence of DON was detected and determined in 5 (20%) maize and 6 (25%) wheat samples by both of the methods. Correlation between ELISA and HPLC results was established, with the correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9691 and 0.9735 for wheat and maize samples, respectively. The results obtained by ELISA method were significantly higher than those obtained by HPLC method. This fact can be explained by the presence of conjugated or masked mycotoxins in the samples, especially DON-3-glucoside (DON-3-Glc), which could not be determined by HPLC method due to the lack of external standards. Contrary to this, being insufficiently selective towards masked DON, ELISA method measures total DON content of a sample. According to the obtained results, ELISA can be used as a reliable screening method, but the confirmation of positive results must be done by HPLC method

During the year 2006, climatic conditions were favourable for the appearance of head blight in the majority of localities in which wheat was grown in our country. In the locality of Apatin, in certain plots, the amount of detected infection was up to 25 infected heads per m2. During the harvest, heads with distinct disease symptoms and sporulation of Fusarium graminearum fungi were gathered. Grains from the parts of heads with manifested disease symptoms were separated into separate samples, together with the grains above and below the infested head part. Apart from ocular evaluation, the percentage of grain infestation by Fusarium genus fungi was determined in all three sample categories, using wet chamber method. Deoxynivalenol (DON) was determined in the samples after extraction, using acetonitrile-water (84:16 v/v) solution. Quantitative amount of DON was determined using liquid chromatography with DAD detector at 220 nm. The content of DON in the samples was as follows: grains with manifested disease symptoms 353,4 ppm (μg/g), grains above the infested head part 0,225 ppm (μg/g), grains below the infested part 0,125 ppm (μg/g). The content of zearalenone in the samples was determined using thin layer chromatography method. This toxic agent was determined only in the samples taken from the head part in which disease symptoms were clearly manifested in the amount of 2,1 ppm (μg/g)

Reports concerning mycotoxins in horse feed are very rare and are typically restricted to fumonisins. As a non-ruminant monogastric species, horses may be more sensitive to adverse effects of mycotoxins, but the most severe effect of fumonisin B1 (FB1) in equines is that it causes fatal leucoencephalomalacia. In recent years, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated several mycotoxins as “undesirable substances in animal feed” with the aim of establishing guidance values for the feed industry. In its evaluation of deoxynivalenol (DON), EFSA concluded that this toxin exhibited toxic effects in all species, but that horses were more tolerant towards this toxin than pigs. According to the available data, a systematic survey on mycotoxins in horse feed in Serbia has not been published. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of mycotoxins in horse feed in Vojvodina. Samples of oats for horse consumption, collected in 2010, were analyzed by enzyme immunoassays (ELISA) for deoxynivalenol contamination. Twelve samples of oats were taken from twelve horse studs, with sport, school and hobby horses

Ochratoxin A is cancerogenic, teratogenetic, immunotoxic and nephrotoxic The mentioned order stresses the importance of this toxin concerning its harm to human health. The harmful effects of ochratoxin A include the effects at molecular level, such as DNA fragmentation, protein synthesis inhibition gluconeogenesis, lipid peroxidation, disorder of oxydative phosphorization in mitochondria, inhibition of blood coagulation and apoptosis. The presence of ochratoxin A in a great number of food samples, both of plant and animal origin, is the obvious risk to human health, which is confirmed by the high incidence of this toxin in samples of human serum and milk. It could be stated, with certainty, that the above - mentioned facts are the reason for which the EU has paid great attention to this mycotoxin in recent years. This paper deals with the results of the analysis of the animal feed component samples for the period 2000-2003 concerning the ochratoxin A content. The analysed feed components were taken from the farms with significant health problems of animals (not monitoring). The samples were analysed by chromatography on a thin layer and with a limited detection method for ochratoxin A of 40 ppb. The analysis was carried out on 108 maize samples, 11 barley samples, 21 wheat samples, 42 sunflower pellets samples and 47 soybean pellets samples (Table 1). The samples of sunflower pellets were contaminated in the greatest percentage, which indicates the inadequate storage of this feed component

Participation in interlaboratory comparison and proficiency testing schemes is important for laboratories to control the work quality. In this study, a sample of naturally contaminated maize was analyzed for the content of ochratoxin A (OTA) in three laboratories in Serbia. Participating laboratories used enzymatic immunoaffinity method (ELISA) for the determination of OTA and selection of the ELISA kit was free. Between-laboratory precision was acceptable as evidenced by Cochran’s C test. Moreover, z-scores for all three laboratories were z < ± 2, which is considered acceptable. Used OTA confirmation methods were thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), with fluorescence detector. The results of different methods were comparable. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 031071 i br. OI 172042