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Updated: Sep 30, 2026
Quantification of Fungal Colonization, Sporogenesis, and Production of Mycotoxins Using Kernel Bioassays
Published on: April 23, 2012
Correlation between DNA of trichothecene-producing Fusarium species and deoxynivalenol concentrations in
H Schnerr1, R F Vogel, Ludwig Niessen
1Technische Universität München, Lehrstuhl für Technische Mikrobiologie, Freising, Weihenstephan, Germany.
Aims:
Correlations between DNA content of trichothecene-producing Fusarium spp. and concentration of the key mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereal samples.
Methods And Results:
A LightCycler PCR-based assay was used to quantify the DNA from trichothecene-producing Fusarium spp. in 300 wheat samples. DNA concentrations ranged from not detectable to 16.3 mg kg-1 whereas DON concentrations (GC/MS data) varied from not detectable to 34.3 mg kg-1. Data analysis revealed a coefficient of correlation r=0.9557 between DON concentrations and DNA-amounts over all samples. An interval of confidence for P=95% was calculated based on samples with DON concentrations < or = 1.5 mg kg-1 (n=234).
Conclusions:
Quantification of 32 samples of Fusarium-contaminated wheat was performed within 45 min. Data analysis allowed estimation of DON contamination from quantitative PCR data in the wheat samples.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
The method described is useful for the screening of cereals in industrial quality control.
