Co-Occurrence of 35 Mycotoxins: A Seven-Year Survey of Corn Grain and Corn Silage in the United States

Abstract

Mycotoxins contaminate crops worldwide and play a role in animal health and performance. Multiple mycotoxins may co-occur which may increase the impact on the animal. To assess the multiple mycotoxin profile of corn (Zea mays), we conducted a 7-year survey of new crop corn grain and silage in the United States. A total of 711 grain and 1117 silage samples were collected between 2013 and 2019 and analyzed for the simultaneous presence of 35 mycotoxins using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The measured mean number of mycotoxins per sample were 4.8 (grain) and 5.2 (silage), ranging from 0 to 13. Fusaric acid (FA) was most frequently detected in 78.1 and 93.8% of grains and silages, respectively, followed by deoxynivalenol (DON) in 75.7 and 88.2% of samples. Fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15ADON) followed. The greatest (p < 0.05) co-occurrence was between FA and DON in 59.1% of grains and 82.7% of silages, followed by FA with FB1, DON with 15ADON, and FA with 15ADON. Although many samples had lower mycotoxin concentrations, 1.6% (grain) and 7.9% (silage) of tested samples had DON ≥ 5000 µg/kg. Fumonisins were detected ≥ 10,000 µg/kg in 9.6 and 3.9% of grain and silage samples, respectively. Concentrations in grain varied by year for eight mycotoxin groups (p < 0.05), while all 10 groups showed yearly variations in silage. Our survey suggest that multiple mycotoxins frequently co-occur in corn grain and silage in the United States, and some of the more prevalent mycotoxins are those that may not be routinely analyzed (i.e., FA and 15ADON). Assessment of multiple mycotoxins should be considered when developing management programs.