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Title: MYCOTOXIN ANALYSES ASSOCIATED WITH FUSARIUM AND CLAVICEPS CO-INFECTED SORGHUM AND OTHER CEREAL GRAINS

Author
item Porter, James
item Wray, Emma
item Meredith, Filmore
item Bacon, Charles
item FAIRCHILD, A - POUL SCI, NCSU, RALEIGH
item HAGLER, JR, W - POUL SCI, NCSU, RALEIGH

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: No interpretive summary required - Abstract for presentation at the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists', World Chemistry Congress, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, July 1-6, 2001.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium and Claviceps are two groups of fungi that cause major worldwide economic losses in the production of sorghum, wheat, corn, and other agricultural commodities. These fungi co-occur on infected cereal grains and pasture grasses and their mycotoxins pose major health concerns for livestock and humans consuming contaminated products. Identification and analyses of mycotoxins produced by these fungi are paramount to food safety guidelines and risk management of Fusarium- and Claviceps-infected grains. Fusaric acid is produced by most species of Fusarium and is used as an indicator for this genus, while the ergot clavine and peptide alkaloids are used as indicators for Claviceps. Thus we developed a series of GC-MS, HPLC-UV, and TLC methods for determining Fusarium and Claviceps mycotoxins in co-infected cereals and feeds. Extraction of ground samples with a suitable solvent, clean up procedures on silica or silica-charcoal column, and reaction with trimethyl-silyl derivatizing reagent provide for quantitative analyses of the Fusarium mycotoxins fusaric acid, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, scirpentriol, monoacetoxy- scripenol, and diacetoxyscirpenol. These procedures were used congruently for the analyses of mycotoxins in contaminated poultry feed and serum. Analyses of the clavine alkaloids produced by Claviceps (i.e., chano-, agro-, elymo-, festu-, pyro-, costa-clavines, etc.) and ergot peptide alkaloids (ergotamine, ergosine, dihydroergosine, etc.) were also accomplished by these methods. This provides a rapid identification of Fusarium- and Claviceps-infected grains and a rational that might be suitable for risk management of contaminated commodities.