Determination of Trichothecene Chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum Strains Isolated in Hungary

A total of 42 strains of Fusarium graminearum isolated from cereals, maize, grasses and air were screened for their ability to produce 8-ketotrichothecenes [deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (ADON), 15-ADON, nivalenol (NIV)]. The isolates were grown on the solid substrate of rice grains in the dark at 25 and 10 C for 28 days. Toxin analyses were made by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The GC-MS was more suitable for qualitative and quantitative determination of acetyl-DONs, than high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique. Of the 42 F. graminearum isolates, 39 produced DON, 34 produced both 3- and 15- ADON and one produced DON-NIV. The quantity of DON varied with isolates (46–6840 mg/kg). Our results suggest that strains of F. graminearum prevailing in Hungarian cereal- and maize-growing regions belong to DON chemotype