Mycotoxin survey of wheat samples graded according to their technological quality

Wheat grain samples from 108 fields in Slovakia were analysed for their technological quality parameters and deoxynivalenol (DON) content. A total of 206 samples were sorted into those that were suitable (S; n = 186) and those that were unsuitable for human consumption (U; n = 20). The S samples were sorted into grain quality grades (E – elite; A – standard; B – minimum; P – biscuit). The natural occurrences of DON were 72.3 % in the E; 84.9 % in the A; 86.1 % in the B; 58.1 % in the P and 100.0 % in the U samples. The mean DON content was 0.55 mg kg −1 in the E; 0.47 mg kg −1 in the A; 0.67 mg kg −1 in the B; 0.36 mg kg −1 in the P and 1.67 mg kg −1 in the U samples. The natural mean DON contamination of the human consumption samples was lower (0.52 mg kg −1 ) than for the samples that were unsuitable for human consumption (1.67 mg kg −1 ).