Post-Harvest Contamination with Mycotoxins in the Context of the Geographic and Agroclimatic Conditions in Romania

Abstract

This study aimed to assess post-harvest contamination with mycotoxins in the context of the geographic and agroclimatic conditions in Romania in 2012–2015, a period that was characterized by extreme meteorological events and the effects of climate change. The samples were randomly sampled from five agricultural regions of Romania and analyzed for mycotoxins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An SPSS analysis was done to explore correlations between mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol—DON, aflatoxins—AF, ochratoxin A—OTA, zearalenone—ZEA), product types (raw cereal, processed cereal, cereal-based food), geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, agricultural region), and agroclimatic factors (air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture reserve, aridity index, soil type). In the southeast part of the Southern Plain and Dobrogea (Baragan Plain, located at 44–45° N, 26–27° E), contamination with AF and OTA was higher in raw and processed cereals (maize in silo, silo corn germs) in the dry years (2012 and 2013), and contamination with DON was high in processed cereals (wheat flour type 450) in the rainy year (2014). DON and OTA contamination were significantly correlated with cumulative precipitation in all years, while AF and ZEA contamination were non-significantly correlated with climatic factors and aridity indices. The distribution of mycotoxins by product type and the non-robust correlations between post-harvest mycotoxins and agrometeorological factors could be explained by the use of quality management systems that control cereal at warehouse receptions, performant processing technologies, and the quality of storage spaces of agri-food companies. The Baragan Plain is Romania’s most sensitive area to the predicted climate change in southeast Europe, which may be associated with its increased cereal contamination with AF and OTA.

Study on Trichothecene and Zearalenone Presence in Romanian Wheat Relative to Weather Conditions

“…The same conclusion was also reached by Alexa et al [32] after analyzing 52 wheat samples collected from Western Romania during two consecutive harvest years. The newest data published about mycotoxins in Romanian wheat concluded that post-harvest contamination with DON and ZEN has a local character, with the Southern part of Romania being the area of interest due to its semi-arid temperate continental climatic conditions [38].…”

Incidence of Fusarium Mycotoxins in Wheat and Maize from Albania

“…Several surveys on the worldwide contamination of Fusarium toxins in cereals and cereal products during the last decade indicate the importance of the problem that food safety is facing globally [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 19 , 28 , 32 ]. Several papers presented data on the Fusarium mycotoxins occurrence from European countries [ 9 , 18 , 20 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. These data have shown high contamination rates, ranging from 20% to 100% for DON, 11% to 95% for FBs, from 1% to 100% for T-2, from 4% to 60% for HT-2 and from 71% to 100% for ZEA.…”

Effect of Stored Humidity and Initial Moisture Content on the Qualities and Mycotoxin Levels of Maize Germ and Its Processing Products

“…The moisture content of the stored maize could also influence the activities of insect pests, which may also be relationship with mycotoxin levels [17,30]. For in-field contaminated cereals, a very significant correlation of DON with regions and meteorological factors (air temperature, precipitation, relative humidity) has been reported [31]. In corn, ZEN and DON may cooccur in preharvest and postharvest and could also increase during storage [32].…”