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Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins

There are legal limits for fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) in wheat intended for human consumption and guidance limits for feed grain. The owner (farmer, merchant or processor) is legally obliged to ensure the grain is safe for human consumption.

The following tools and information have been produced by HGCA to help growers assess mycotoxin risk and obtain composite and representative samples for testing for DON and ZON where required by the end-user.

Stage 1: Assess mycotoxin risk

A mycotoxin risk assessment score must be recorded on the Combinable Crops Passport

Risk assessment tools:

New This season, HGCA is doing risk assessments for selected Recommended List trial sites, these will be updated at each key step in the risk assessment

Stage 2: Obtain a representative sample

Sample at harvest according to the HGCA grain sampling worksheet. Thorough sampling gives a better understanding of your grain and can help avoid rejections and possible disputes, it also assists with grain marketing decisions.

Further information on sampling:

About Mycotoxins

Grain is susceptible to mycotoxins produced either whilst the crop is growing by Fusarium species or during storage by Penicillium species. Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by specific fungi which infect crops. Different fungal species produce mycotoxins of widely varying toxicity to humans and animals; hence there are different permitted levels in foodstuffs and feed.

Field Mycotoxins

fusarium mycotoxinsIn the field, infection of ears by Fusarium species can result in mycotoxin development when the weather is warm and wet at flowering. Fusarium mycotoxin occurrence may be greater when wet weather delays harvest. Crops infected at flowering may have individual bleached spikelets, or partially bleached ears, resulting at harvest in pink or chalky-white shrivelled grains. However, there is little correlation between fusarium-damaged grains and mycotoxin occurrence.

Storage Mycotoxins

grain storage mycotoxins Storage fungi can grow on cereals from about 14.5% moisture content (7.5-8% in oilseed rape) upwards. They can cause heating and loss of germinative capacity and some produce mycotoxins. Ochratoxin A (OTA) may be produced by the storage mould Penicillium verrucosum if grain exceeds 18% moisture content. The greatest risk occurs during harvest backlogs and during ambient air drying when grain may take weeks to dry. OTA incidence can be unpredictable. In the UK only some strains of Penicillium verrucosum produce OTA. Even when present, those strains do not always produce toxins. .

Useful links to other websites
Food Standards Agency
www.food.gov.uk

The UK Code of Good Agricultural Practice to Reduce Fusarium Mycotoxins in Cereals (2007) FSA
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fusariumcop.pdf

The UK Code of Good Storage Practice to Reduce Ochratoxin A in Cereals (2007) FSA
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ochratoxinacop.pdf

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