Survey of Deoxynivalenol in U.S. 1993 Wheat and Barley Crops by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Abstract

Abstract Wheat and barley from the 1993 crop year were analyzed for deoxynivalenol (DON). A total of 630 samples were collected by the Federal Grain Inspection Service in 25 states and analyzed using a commercially available, direct competitive, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The limit of determination was about 0.5 μg/g. DON contamination in the 483 wheat samples averaged 2.0 μg/g and ranged from <0.5 to 18 μg/g. DON contamination in the 147 barley samples averaged 4.2 μg/g and ranged from <0.5 to 26 μg/g. About 40% of the wheat samples and 57% of the barley samples contained DON levels that were greater than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 1982 advisory level of 2 μg/g for DON in wheat designated for milling (human consumption).