Zearalenone in wheat from Kosovo: baseline surveillance data from 2022-2024

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogenic Fusarium mycotoxin that may contaminate cereals and cereal-based foods, representing a potential food safety concern in wheat-dependent diets. This study evaluated ZEN occurrence in wheat circulating in the Kosovo food supply during 2022-2024 and assessed proximate composition as complementary information for sample characterization. A total of 80 wheat samples were collected from farms and mills in the Dukagjini Plain and the Kosovo Plain and classified as declared local wheat or declared imported wheat based on information provided at the sampling point. ZEN was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, while proximate composition was assessed using standard analytical methods. ZEN was not detected in any sample above the method limit of detection of 3.17 µg/kg, indicating compliance with the European Union maximum level for ZEN in unprocessed cereal grains during the investigated period. The wheat samples showed a carbohydrate-dominant profile, moderate variability in protein, and relatively stable fat, ash, and phosphorus contents. No statistically significant differences were observed between declared local and declared imported wheat or between the two sampling locations. These findings provide preliminary baseline evidence limited to the analyzed samples and sampling period and should not be interpreted as confirmation of the general or permanent absence of ZEN risk in the Kosovo wheat supply. Continued risk-based surveillance should include additional harvest years, larger sample sets, and broader contaminant coverage, particularly deoxynivalenol, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, fumonisins, and, where relevant, pesticide residues.