Effect of ensiling duration on the fate of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and their derivatives in maize silage

• Published in: Mycotoxin research 2020-05, Vol.36 (2), p.127-136
• Main Authors: Jensen, Tolke, De Boevre, Marthe, De Saeger, Sarah, Preußke, Nils, Sönnichsen, Frank D., Kramer, Ewald, Klink, Holger, Verreet, Joseph-Alexander, Birr, Tim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chemistry/Food Science; Chromatography, Liquid; Corn; Corn silage; Crop yield; Crops; Deoxynivalenol; Derivatives; Fusarium; Fusarium - chemistry; Glucosides; Grain silos; Harvest; Levels; Life Sciences; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical Microbiology; Medicine/Public Health; Microbiology; Mycotoxins; Original Article; Preservation; Silage - analysis; Silage - microbiology; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Toxins; Trichothecenes - analysis; Zea mays - metabolism; Zea mays - microbiology; Zearalenone; Zearalenone - analysis
• ISSN: 0178-7888; 1867-1632
• DOI: 10.1007/s12550-019-00378-4

Fusarium mycotoxins and their derivatives are frequently detected in freshly harvested forage maize. This study assessed the time course effects during ensiling of forage maize on the fate of Fusarium mycotoxins, using laboratory-scale silos and artificially contaminated raw material. A multi-mycotoxin liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method was used to determine the levels of deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN) and their derivatives DON-3-glucoside, 3-acetyl-DON, 15-acetyl-DON, deepoxy-DON, α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol. A significant increase of DON was observed during ensiling, whereas the levels of DON-3-glucoside and its acetylated forms proportionally decreased. In contrast, levels of ZEN, α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol were not affected by the ensiling process. Based on these findings, ensiling is not a practical method for reducing the total amount of Fusarium mycotoxins present at harvest.