MULTIANNUAL DYNAMICS OF MYCOTOXIN RESIDUES IN FOOD AND FEEDSTUFFS

This paper presents the temporal dynamics of the concentrations for three mycotoxins – Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), Ochratoxin A (OTA), and Zearalenone (ZEN) – monitored between 2013 and 2022 in Tulcea County, SE Romania, in selected food (wheat, maize) and feed products (combined forage and cereals and fodder products). Among the products intended for human consumption, maize exhibited higher concentrations of mycotoxins than the wheat. AFB1, OTA and ZEN concentrations varied in wheat in the intervals 0.91–1.92 µg/kg, 0.77–4.36 µg/kg, and 1.34–56.94 µg/kg, respectively, and in maize in the intervals 1.1–3.06 µg/kg, 0.91–4.69 µg/kg and 2.11–249 µg/kg, respectively. In the case of the products intended for animal consumption, the cereals and fodder products showed greater mycotoxin concentrations than the combined forage. AFB1, OTA and ZEN concentrations in combined forage were in the ranges 1–16 µg/kg, 0.90–98.30 µg/kg, and 2.1–157 µg/kg, respectively, while in cereals and fodder products their levels varied in the ranges 1–20 µg/kg, 0.80–136 µg/kg, 2–391 µg/kg, respectively. The average mycotoxin concentrations reported in this study do not exceed the legislated guideline levels and present a decreasing order ZEN>OTA>AFB1.