The Role of Preharvest Natural Infection and Toxin Contamination in Food and Feed Safety in Maize, South-East Hungary, 2014-2021.

ABSTRACT: Mycotoxins originating in the preharvest period represent a less studied research problem, even though they are of the utmost practical significance in maize production, determining marketability (within EU limits), and storage ability, competitiveness, and profit rate. In this study, 18-23 commercial hybrids were tested between 2014 and 2021. Natural infection from Fusarium spp. was higher than 1.5%, and for Aspergillus spp. this was normally 0.01% or 0, much lower than would be considered as severe infection. In spite of this, many hybrids provided far higher toxin contamination than regulations allow. The maximum preharvest aflatoxin B₁ was in 2020 (at 2286 μg/kg), and, in several cases, the value was higher than 1000 μg/kg. The hybrid differences were large. In

SUBMITTER: Mesterhazy A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9605659 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature