Risk assessment of Fusarium mycotoxins in Lithuanian small cereal grains

A total of 125 small grain samples, including 60 of winter crop and 65 of spring crop collected during 2006-2007 at harvesting in Lithuanian fields, were involved in the current study on co-occurrence of three Fusarium mycotoxins. All grain samples tested were found to be contaminated with mycotoxins. In 2006, winter cereal grain samples contaminated with one mycotoxin accounted for 16%, and those contaminated with three mycotoxins for 25%. No spring cereal grain samples containing only one toxin were found, while those contaminated with three toxins accounted for 91% of the total samples tested. In the year 2007 winter cereal grain samples contaminated with one toxin accounted for as little as 4%, and all spring cereal grain samples tested were found to be 100% contaminated with deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin. Mycotoxin concentrations in grain samples, in most cases, were within the permissible range. A trend was revealed that spring barley grain samples tested contained higher T-2 concentrations irrespective of the test year.