Fusarium DNA traceability along the bread production chain

Wheat grain contamination with toxigenic Fusarium spp. is of great economic concern to cereal producers and to the grain processing industry and is of great relevance for the quality and safety of the final products. In particular, the bread production chain can potentially be a vehicle for mycotoxin ingestion above the tolerable total daily intake. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based analytical approach has been developed as a possible tool to estimate and control the risk of mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON). This DNA-based analytical method has been applied to detect and quantify contamination levels of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum in naturally infected wheat grain samples. The persistence of Fusarium contamination was also detected along the bread production chain in wholemeal, flour and bread. A significant correlation was found between Fusarium DNA and DON concentration in all samples.