Survey of trichothecene mycotoxins in grains and animal feed in Croatia by thin layer chromatography Marijana Sokolovic ´ * , Borka S ˇ impraga 1 Croatian Veterinary Institute, Poultry Centre, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Received 22 February 2005; received in revised form 7 May 2005; accepted 9 May 2005 Abstract Trichothecene mycotoxins are common contaminants of cereal grains and animal feed worldwide. The toxins are toxic to both human and animals. The objectives of this study were to determine the occurrence of trichothecenes in grains and animal feed in Croatia. Total of 465 samples were collected during the seven-year period (1998–2004) from manufactures and small holders farm storage facilities. The samples were analyzed by thin layer chromatography, which proved to be fast, reliable and inexpensive method. T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol and deoxynivalenol were detected in 16.8%, 27.6% and 41.2%, respectively. The amount of toxins ranged between 0.05 and 3.4 mg/kg. The majority of animal feed samples was poultry feed. Only small number of it con- tained T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol levels greater than the Croatian regulatory levels for poultry feed. Positive samples were in correlation with evidenced clinical symptoms of toxicosis in poultry. Since trichothecenes are frequently isolated from animal feed and grains in Croatia, they could have significant economic and safety implications in animal production. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Trichothecenes; Feed; Grains; TLC; Croatia 1. Introduction Trichothecenes are a group of over 170 mycotoxins produced mainly by fungi of the genus Fusarium (Krska, Baumgartner, & Josephs, 2001; Langseth & Rundber- get, 1998). The toxins occur worldwide in a wide variety of food, feed and other commodities. They are often found in cereal grains, especially in the temperate re- gions of America, Asia and Europe (Creppy, 2002; DÕMello & Macdonald, 1997). It has been evidenced that grains can be contaminated at any stage from pre harvest to post harvest and during storage. Recent European study on occurrence of Fusarium toxins provided results covering 12 different trichothec- enes. Fifty seven percent of the samples from 11 coun- tries were positive for deoxynivalenol (DON). Twenty percent of the samples were positive for T-2 toxin and only 4% were positive for diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) (EC, 2003). Similar study was done by Joint FAO/ WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA, 2001). It has been shown that DON was also a frequent contaminant of cereal grains. The incidence of contam- ination of grain samples was 11% for T-2 toxin and 14% for HT-2 toxin, while no data were available for DAS. A survey done by Pavic ˇic ´, Brlek, and Nemanic ˇ (1998) revealed that Fusarium species are the most frequently isolated fungi from grains in Croatia, indicating on pos- sible economic importance of trichothecenes in Croatia. T-2 toxin and DAS belong to a group of the most acute toxic trichothecenes (type A), but have lower incidence in feed. Deoxynivalenol (type B), at the other hand 0956-7135/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2005.05.001 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +385 1 2441 394; fax: +385 1 2441 396. E-mail addresses: sokolm@hi.htnet.hr (M. Sokolovic ´), borkas@ inet.hr (B. S ˇ impraga). 1 Tel.: +385 1 2441 392; fax: +385 1 2441 396. www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont Food Control 17 (2006) 733–740