This paper describes the first validated method for the determination of 39 mycotoxins in wheat and maize using a single extraction step followed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) without the need for any clean-up. The 39 analytes included A- and B-trichothecenes (including deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside), zearalenone and related derivatives, fumonisins, enniatins, ergot alkaloids, ochratoxins, aflatoxins and moniliformin. The large number and the chemical diversity of the analytes required the application of the positive as well as the negative ion ESI mode in two consecutive chromatographic runs of 21 min each. The solvent mixture acetonitrile/water/acetic acid 79 + 20 + 1 (v/v/v) has been determined as the best compromise for the extraction of the analytes from wheat and maize. Raw extracts were diluted 1 + 1 and were injected without any clean-up. Ion-suppression effects due to co-eluting matrix components were negligible in the case of wheat, whereas significant signal suppression for 12 analytes was observed in maize, causing purely proportional systematic errors. Method performance characteristics were determined after spiking blank samples on multiple levels in triplicate. Coefficients of variation of the overall process of <5.1% and <3.0% were obtained for wheat and maize, respectively, from linear calibration data. Limits of detection ranged from 0.03 to 220 microg/kg. Apparent recoveries (including both the recoveries of the extraction step and matrix effects) were within the range of 100 +/- 10% for approximately half of the analytes. In extreme cases the apparent recoveries dropped to about 20%, but this could be compensated for to a large extent by the application of matrix-matched standards to correct for matrix-induced signal suppression, as only a few analytes such as nivalenol and the fumonisins exhibited incomplete extraction. For deoxynivalenol and zearalenone, the trueness of the method was confirmed through the analysis of certified reference materials.

Plant pathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium cause agriculturally important diseases of small grain cereals and maize. Trichothecenes are a class of mycotoxins produced by different Fusarium species that inhibit eukaryotic protein biosynthesis and presumably interfere with the expression of genes induced during the defense response of the plants. One of its members, deoxynivalenol, most likely acts as a virulence factor during fungal pathogenesis and frequently accumulates in grain to levels posing a threat to human and animal health. We report the isolation and characterization of a gene from Arabidopsis thaliana encoding a UDP-glycosyltransferase that is able to detoxify deoxynivalenol. The enzyme, previously assigned the identifier UGT73C5, catalyzes the transfer of glucose from UDP-glucose to the hydroxyl group at carbon 3 of deoxynivalenol. Using a wheat germ extract-coupled transcription/translation system we have shown that this enzymatic reaction inactivates the mycotoxin. This deoxynivalenol-glucosyltransferase (DOGT1) was also found to detoxify the acetylated derivative 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, whereas no protective activity was observed against the structurally similar nivalenol. Expression of the glucosyltransferase is developmentally regulated and induced by deoxynivalenol as well as salicylic acid, ethylene, and jasmonic acid. Constitutive overexpression in Arabidopsis leads to enhanced tolerance against deoxynivalenol.

We investigated the hypothesis that resistance to deoxynivalenol (DON) is a major resistance factor in the Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance complex of wheat. Ninety-six double haploid lines from a cross between 'CM-82036' and 'Remus' were examined. The lines were tested for DON resistance after application of the toxin in the ear, and for resistances to initial infection and spread of FHB after artificial inoculation with Fusarium spp. Toxin application to flowering ears induced typical FHB symptoms. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses detected one locus with a major effect on DON resistance (logarithm of odds = 53.1, R2 = 92.6). The DON resistance phenotype was closely associated with an important FHB resistance QTL, Qfhs.ndsu-3BS, which previously was identified as governing resistance to spread of symptoms in the ear. Resistance to the toxin was correlated with resistance to spread of FHB (r = 0.74, P < 0.001). In resistant wheat lines, the applied toxin was converted to DON-3-O-glucoside as the detoxification product. There was a close relation between the DON-3-glucoside/DON ratio and DON resistance in the toxin-treated ears (R2 = 0.84). We conclude that resistance to DON is important in the FHB resistance complex and hypothesize that Qfhs.ndsu-3BS either encodes a DON-glucosyl-transferase or regulates the expression of such an enzyme.

This paper describes the extension of a previously published method based on liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) from 39 to currently 87 analytes. Besides the mycotoxins for which regulated concentrations exist, the method now comprises not only almost all mycotoxins for which standards are commercially available, but also a number of other important metabolites produced by fungi involved in food spoilage. The method is based on a single extraction step using an acidified acetonitrile/water mixture followed by analysis of the diluted crude extract. Method performance characteristics were determined after spiking breadcrumbs as model matrix at multiple concentration levels. With very few exceptions, coefficients of variation of the whole procedure of <5% and repeatabilities at the highest spiking level of <7% were obtained. Limits of detection ranged between 0.02 and 225 microg kg(-1). The quantitative determination of ergopeptides was disturbed by epimerization due to the acidic conditions. From the remaining 77 analytes, the apparent recoveries of nine substances deviated significantly from the CEN target range of 70-110% due to incomplete extraction and/or matrix effects. In principle, the latter can be compensated for by the application of matrix-matched calibration. The developed method was applied to 18 moldy samples (including bread, fruits, vegetables, jam, cheese, chestnuts and red wine) from private households. This study revealed the great value of the described method: 37 different fungal metabolites were identified at concentrations of up to 33 mg kg(-1), and some of these have never been reported before in the context of moldy food products.

Conjugated mycotoxins, in which the toxin is usually bound to a more polar substance like glucose, are referred to as masked mycotoxins, as these substances escape routine detection methods but can release their toxic precursors after hydrolysis. This is the first report on the natural occurrence of a glucoside of deoxynivalenol (DON) in Fusarium-infected wheat and maize. To obtain appropriate standards, we chemically synthesized deoxynivalenol-3-beta-D-glucopyranoside (DON-3-glucoside) and deoxynivalenol-15-beta-D-glucopyranoside (DON-15-glucoside). The synthesis products were characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The DON-glucosides showed different collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation behaviors and could therefore be distinguished. Wheat plants were either treated with DON (n = 52) or with Fusarium spp. (n = 4) at anthesis, and after harvest, wheat ears were analyzed for DON and DON-glucosides. All 56 treated wheat samples contained DON and a DON-glucoside with the same retention time, molecular mass, and CID fragmentation behavior as the synthetic DON-3-glucoside. Moreover, the DON-glucoside was also found in two out of three analyzed naturally DON-contaminated maize and in five out of five naturally contaminated wheat samples, in a range from 4 to 12% of the DON concentration. To further confirm the identity of the DON-glucoside, the compound was isolated from wheat extracts and characterized as DON-3-glucoside with NMR. The results of this study indicate the importance to consider both DON and DON-3-glucoside with regard to food and feed safety.

In this study an LC-MS/MS multitoxin method covering a total of 247 fungal and bacterial metabolites was applied to the analysis of different foods and feedstuffs from Burkina Faso and Mozambique. Overall, 63 metabolites were determined in 122 samples of mainly maize and groundnuts and a few samples of sorghum, millet, rice, wheat, soy, dried fruits, other processed foods and animal feeds. Aflatoxin B(1) was observed more frequently in maize (Burkina Faso, 50% incidence, median = 23.6 μg/kg; Mozambique, 46% incidence, median = 69.9 μg/kg) than in groundnuts (Burkina Faso, 22% incidence, median = 10.5 μg/kg; Mozambique, 14% incidence, median = 3.4 μg/kg). Fumonisin B(1) concentrations in maize were higher in Mozambique (92% incidence, median = 869 μg/kg) than in Burkina Faso (81% incidence, median = 269 μg/kg). In addition, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and other less reported mycotoxins such as citrinin, alternariol, cyclopiazonic acid, sterigmatocystin, moniliformin, beauvericin, and enniatins were detected. Up to 28 toxic fungal metabolites were quantitated in a single sample, emphasizing the great variety of mycotoxin coexposure. Most mycotoxins have not been reported before in either country.

Highlights► Deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (D3G) is hydrolyzed to deoxynivalenol during digestion. ► D3G is resistant to acids and enzymes expressed by humans. ► D3G is partly cleaved by cellulase and cellobiase. ► Several intestinal bacteria liberate deoxynivalenol from D3G. ► D3G is of toxicological relevance and should be monitored in food.

This study reports on the detailed investigation of human deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) in vivo metabolism through the analysis of urine samples obtained from one volunteer following a naturally contaminated diet containing 138μg DON and 10μg ZEN over a period of four days. Based on the mycotoxin intake and the concentrations of mycotoxin conjugates in urine, a mass balance was established. The average rates of DON excretion and glucuronidation were determined to be 68 and 76%, respectively. The investigation of formed glucuronides revealed DON-15-glucuronide as main conjugation product besides DON-3-glucuronide. Furthermore, for the first time in human urine a third DON-glucuronide was detected and the fate of ingested masked DON forms (3-acetyl-DON and DON-3-glucoside) was preliminary assessed. The mean excretion rate of ZEN was determined to be 9.4%. ZEN was mainly present in its glucuronide form and in some samples ZEN-14-glucuronide was directly determined 3-10h after exposure. For the first time concrete figures have become available for the excretion pattern of DON and ZEN-glucuronides throughout a day, the comparison of total DON in 24h and first morning urine samples and the urinary excretion rate of total ZEN in humans following exposure through naturally contaminated food. Therefore, valuable preliminary information has been obtained through the chosen experimental approach although the study involved only one single individual and needs to be confirmed in larger monitoring studies. The presented experiment contributes to a better understanding of human DON and ZEN in vivo metabolism and thereby supports advanced exposure and risk assessment to increase food safety and examine the relationship between these mycotoxins and potentially associated chronic diseases in the future.