Fusarium Mycotoxins. An Overview of Chemical Characterization and Techniques for its Determination from Agricultural Products

Abstract

The requirement to apply regulatory limits (or at least recommendations) to detect mycotoxins presence in several samples, such as food, feed, and other biological matrices has prompted the development of a vast number of analytical methods for the detection, quantification and confirmation of these metabolites. The present chapter describes several methods developed for the determination of mycotoxins produces by Fusarium species associated with Fusarium Head Blight worldwide. The chemical diversity of Fusarium mycotoxins and their varying concentration ranges in a wide range of agricultural commodities, foods and biological samples poses a great challenge to analytical chemists. The different chemical and physicochemical properties of the mentioned mycotoxins require specific extraction, cleanup, separation and detection methods. Advantages and disadvantages of each method depend on its capability to separate impurities from the analytes, the time of sample preparation and economic aspects. The Fusarium mycotoxicology had its beginnings in 1809 with the identification of this genus by Johann Link, who characterized this group of fungi by the typical shape of their macroconidia. In 1903 the first indication that Fusarium graminearum and related species were associated with mycotoxicosis in farm animals appeared, producing hemorrhagic and estrogen syndromes, and rejection of food animals, especially pigs. Between 1961 and 1991, a group of researchers discovered the three most important mycotoxins produced by Fusarium genus: fumonisins, trichothecenes and zearalenone, as well as other emergent mycotoxins such us: beauvericin, fusaproliferin, and moniliformin.