OCCURRENCE OF FUSARIUM MYCOTOXINS AND RELATED SPECIES FROM DURUM WHEAT COLLECTED IN ITALY

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) represents one of the most economically worldwide devasting disease of of durum wheat, causing significant reduction of grain yield and quality. FHB of wheat is caused by a complex of species belonging mostly to Fusarium genus. Many of these species can produce a wide range of mycotoxins that can be accumulated in wheat kernels at maturity, among which the trichotecene, strong protein inhibitors, are the most common. Moreover, each species of Fusarium involved in the FHB is provided of its own specific profile. The species can vary in the different geographical areas because they can be influenced from the changing environmental conditions. One-hundred-four samples of durum wheat were collected in Italy in 2013 and 2014 and analyzed for the occurrence of trichothecenes by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Photodiode-Array Detector and zearalenone (ZEA) by highperformance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The Fusarium species isolated from the kernels were first identified based on their morphological features and therefore confirmed by sequencing calmodulin and elongation factor 1? genes. The Fusarium mycotoxin detection varied in 2013 compared to 2014 and also according with geographical areas. Deoxynivalenol (DON) was detected at a relevant levels only in the samples collected in Central and Northern Italy, with higher concentrations and incidence in 2014 compared 2013. On the other hand, the T-2 and HT-2 toxins and ZEA occurred at higher levels in samples collected in Southern Italy than in Central Italy and Northern Italy, and in 2014 the level of contamination was higher than in 2013. These latter data are also reason of the highest concern since 18 out of 20 wheat samples in both 2013 and 2014 (range, 100-335 and 155-486 ppb, respectively) were over the recommended limits suggested by the European Union for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in the wheat kernels. The mycotoxin contamination that occurred in the kernels was also reflected in the spectrum of Fusarium species isolated and identified. Fusarium graminearum sensu stricto was the most occurring species when the DON occurred at high levels and F. langsethiae was the species isolated frequently when T-2 and HT-2 toxins were detected. These data showed that a real mycotoxin risk related to Fusarium mycotoxins does exist along the whole Italy, but they vary according with the geographical areas and year of sampling.