Effects of Fusarium Head Blight on Wheat Grain and Malt Infected by Fusarium culmorum

Fusarium head blight is a destructive disease of cereals worldwide. The aim of this research was to study the effect of heavy Fusarium infection with Fusarium culmorum and biosynthesis of mycotoxins on different wheat varieties during malting by setting up field trials with control and Fusarium-inoculated treatments at the Agricultural Institute Osijek. The highest occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins was expectedly recorded in susceptible variety in grain and malt (3247 and 1484 µg kg-1 for deoxynivalenol (DON), 735 and 1116 µg kg-1 for 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 37 and 233 µg kg-1 for zearalenone (ZEN), respectively). Based on published information, complemented by our own results, the following conclusions can be drawn: The presence of 3-ADON in different wheat varieties might be the result of its conversion into DON by deacetylation during the malting process. The detection of the mycotoxin ZEN indicated that this mycotoxin is only specific for wheat malt.