Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry 2018 Volume 34, Issue 4, Pages: 469-480
https://doi.org/10.2298/BAH1804469O
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Impacts of climatic conditions on aflatoxin B1 and fumonisins contamination of maize kernels and their co-occurrence
Obradović Ana 
(Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Belgrade)
Krnjaja Vesna (Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade)
Nikolić Milica (Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Belgrade)
Delibašić Goran (Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade)
Filipović Milomir (Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Belgrade)
Stanković Goran (Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Belgrade)
Stanković Slavica (Maize Research Institute, Zemun Polje, Belgrade)
Agroecological and climatic conditions in Serbia greatly affected the
development of toxigenic fungi and occurrence of mycotoxins in the maize.
The presence of fungal toxigenic Aspergillus and Fusarium species and levels
of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and sum of fumonisins B1, B2 and B3 (FBs) were
established in 127 maize kernel samples harvested during 2012 (37 samples)
and 2013 (90 samples). The periods of silking and grain filling of the maize
in 2012 in comparison to 2013 were characterised with extremely dry spells,
with high temperatures and low precipitation sums. The mean incidences of A.
flavus and F. verticillioides were 50.4 and 11.7% in 2012 and 18.9 and 33.4%
in 2013, respectively. According to the regulations of the World Health
Organisation, unacceptable levels of AFB1 (>20 μg kg-1) and FBs (>2000 μg
kg-1) were established in the 30.6 and 24.1% samples of 2012 and 16.7 and
40% maize kernel samples of 2013, respectively. It can be concluded that
high temperatures and low precipitation sums in 2012 favoured the
development of A. flavus affecting the high level of AFB1 , in comparison
with F. verticillioides and the production of FBs. There was no positive
correlation between the incidences of A. flavus and F. verticillioides,
while a statistically significant positive correlation has been found
between AFB1 and FBs levels, in both investigated years (2012-2013). This
indicates that the mycotoxin production depended more on weather conditions
than on the distribution of corresponding toxigenic fungal species.
Keywords: toxigenic fungi, A. flavus, F. verticillioides, aflatoxin B1, fumonisins
Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-31023 and Grant no. III46008