First survey of deoxynivalenol occurrence in crops in Serbia

A total of 139 samples of maize (76), wheat (16), soybean (24), sunflower (19) and barley (4), collected during 2004 and 2005, were investigated for the presence and concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON). The samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography on ODS Hypersil column with DAD detector. The average incidence rate of DON during both years in maize was 44.7%, in wheat 37.5%, in sunflower 47.4%, in soybean 8.3% and in barley samples 25%. In the positive samples, DON was found in concentration range 0.04–2.46 μg/g. However, in only three samples concentrations were above the maximum level adopted by the European Commission. This is the first report on DON content in crops in Serbia.