NATURAL OCCURRENCE OF DEOXYNIVALENOL IN SOYBEAN GROWN IN SERBIA - Soybean and Wheat Crops: Growth, Fertilization, and Yield - page 110

that is the beginning of the harvest, was characterized by very hot weather and a very small
amount of rain. Such variegated weather conditions did certainly influence the soybean
resistance to Fusarium fungi and thus the occurrence of DON. However, none of the samples
contained DON above the advisory level of 500 μg/kg of DON, passed by the European
Union [31], which is not related strictly to soybean but to cereal products as consumed and
other cereal products at retail stage.
The results obtained in this study were compared with data pertaining to a number of
countries of the world, including EU, and especially with those of the neighboring countries.
Unfortunately, as has already been said in Introduction, studies dealing with this issue are
rather scarce. Of the neighboring countries there are only data for Croatia and Hungary.
In Hungary, Rafai et al. [25] analyzed DON content among the others in 119 soybean
samples harvests 1991−1998 and found that 65.5% of the analyzed samples were
contaminated with DON at an average level of 252.7 μg/kg. On the basis of these findings the
authors concluded that soybean may be a good substrate for trichothecene producing fungi
and the rate of contamination was considerable.
In Croatia, Sokolovic and Simpraga [26] analyzed crop samples of the 2001−2004
harvests, mentioning also soybean, but giving neither the number of its samples nor DON
contamination rate. In their conclusion the authors pointed out that because of the rather small
number of samples the data obtained could not be interpreted as the actual situation in the
field conditions.
As far as we know, of the other European countries there are no data about DON
occurrence in soybean except for that grown in Germany. Thus, out of 13 samples of soya
meal Schollenberger et al. [27] found that 7 samples were contaminated with DON at a mean
level of 64 μg/kg and maximal content of 237 μg/kg. The same group of researchers [29]
analyzed also for Fusarium toxins a total of 45 samples of soy food including whole beans,
roasted soy nuts, flour and flakes, textured soy protein, tofu, proteinisolate including infant
formulas and fermented products (soy sauce), randomly collected in food and health food
stores. Of the samples analyzed DON contamination was found in crisp, textured products,
soy flour and soy sauce in a range of 11-260 μg/kg.
As has been noticed in Introduction, Fusarium fungi are among the most important
agriculturally toxigenic fungi occurring in the moderate climatic zones of Europe and North
America. Thus Lombaert et al. [22] investigated soy-based cereals from Canadian retail
market for the presence of DON, and by analyzing 8 samples of soy-based infant cereals
(which usually contain corn) they found the presence of DON in all samples, with a mean of
116 μg/kg and maximal content of 240 μg/kg. It may be pointed out that the DON content
found in the analyzed samples was not very high as it was below the advisory level of 500
μg/kg of DON passed by the European Union, which is not related strictly to soybean but to
cereal products as consumed and other cereal products at retail stage.
Further, Clear et al. [24], found that Canadian soybean seed discoloration was, among the
others, a consequence of the presence of Fusarium toxins, identifying in the reddish
discolored seeds contained DON and HT-2 toxin.
Scott [28] in its own multi-year monitoring of Canadian grains and grain-based foods for
trichothecenes and zearalenone found that ZEA was rarely present in soybean.
Besides, Jacobsen et al. [18] investigated among the others the presence of DON in
whole soybeans grown in the USA, as well as in the hulls, meal and oils. DON was detected