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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Quantification of Fungal Colonization, Sporogenesis, and Production of Mycotoxins Using Kernel Bioassays
Published on: April 23, 2012
Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in mature corn silage
1Groupe Régional d'Etudes sur le Cancer, GRECAN-EA 1772, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Centre François Baclesse, Avenue Général Harris, BP 5026, 14076 Caen Cedex 05, France.
Abstract:
To investigate the exposure of livestock and farm workers to mycotoxins during the last months of silage use, the mycoflora and the mycotoxins in a mature silage (11-months-old) were studied. A multimycotoxin method was developed to evaluate the toxigenic in vitro ability of fungal strains. The screening of potentially toxigenic fungi isolated from the mature silage showed that six Fusaria (Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Fusarium verticillioides) and one Aspergillus (Aspergillus fumigatus) were able to produce mycotoxins on nutrient agar. Seven major mycotoxins (aflatoxin B(1), citrinin, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B(1), gliotoxin, ochratoxin A and zearalenone) were also searched in the corn silage by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Among the three mycotoxins (citrinin, gliotoxin and deoxynivalenol) detected in the silage, gliotoxin, a strongly immunosuppressive mycotoxin, occurred in the mature silage at level up to 877 ppb, which was associated with the presence of A. fumigatus in the silage.
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