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Digital Re-print - July | August 2009Feature: Mycotoxins
Feature title: Growing concerns over mycotoxins
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Grain & Feed Milling Technology is published six times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom.All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies,
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No one involved in thegrain chain wants to seeanother season like 2008,
when levels of mycotoxins inwheat made trading conditionsdifficult to say the least. Sowhat can be done to prevent areoccurrence? Lucy de la Pastureof Pinstone CommunicationsLtd in the UK finds out moreon this subject for GFMT
The quality of the British wheat crop is
always subject to the vagaries of our climate,
something that cant be predicted and most
often causes problems with lodging, giving rise
to low specific weights and poor Hagbergs.
Last season very wet growing and harvest
conditions led to extensive early lodging, high
disease levels and a protracted harvest allfactors which made 2008 break all records
for exceeding EU limits for mycotoxins,
deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone
(ZON) in raw grain.
So why do mycotoxins occur and what
can growers do to reduce the risk of them
occurring and make sure grain is fit for
human consumption?
Mycotoxins are produced by several
species of Fusarium fungi, explains Dr
Simon Edwards, fusarium specialist at Harper
Adams University College.
This year risk of fusarium is currently
moderate to high, depending on rainfall inthe area where crops are being grown, says
Dr Edwards.
There is a lot of inoculum as a result of high
levels of fusarium head blight (FHB) last year.
Rainfall and timing dependentThe level of mycotoxins is highly depen-
dent on rainfall over flowering and during
ripening. Many areas have had
rainfall over flowering this season,
but this has been very variable.
Much of the wheat crop had
finished flowering before recent
rainfall on the south coast, whilst
late drilled wheat in Lincolnshire
and Yorkshire was just starting to
flower so was more vulnerable to
fusarium infection, comments Dr
Edwards.The west and the Midlands
has also had plenty of rain over
the flowering period and generally
the east of the country has had
much less.
Timing of rainfall is important
because as well as dictating the
amount of fusarium infection likely in
crops, it also influences the type of
mycotoxin produced. DON myco-
toxin is produced from fusarium
infection during the flowering period,
so rainfall at this timing may mean
higher risk of DON occurring.
Growing concerns over
mycotoxins
by Lucy de la Pasture, Pinstone Communications Ltd
Grain&feed millinG technoloGy12 | Ju-augus 2009
FeatureMycotoxins
Wheat growers use a risk assessment
tool, developed by the Home-Grown
Cereals Authority (HGCA), which enables
them to make an entry on the grain passport
that accompanies each load on sale and
identify loads at risk and in need of furthertesting.
Last season the system seriously broke
down and the passports failed to adequately
give grain buyers an indication of mycotoxin
risk.
Dr Edwards, explaining why this hap-
pened, says, The HGCA risk assessment
was based on data from 2001 to 2007 and
during this time average rainfall in the pre-
harvest period was 20mm.
Last year actual rainfall was in the region
of 100mm, with a substantial delay to harvest
because of the wet weather in August and
September - none of this was factored in
the model!
So can grain millers and processors have
confidence in the risk assessment system in
place after last season?
The HGCA have taken urgent action toaddress the issue.
This season the risk assessment has been
revised to take these factors in to account
and enable growers to identify fields at par-
ticular risk which may then require testing,
reassures Dr Edwards.
As well as rainfall, the risk assessment
scores other factors such as region, previous
crop, cultivation, variety and T3 fungicide.
Reducing riskGrowers can reduce much of the risk
of mycotoxins by taking measures before a
crop is planted.
Crop debris is an important source of
inoculum and burying this by ploughing will
reduce risk, explains Dr Edwards.
Conversely, fields which have had mini-
mal cultivations
or are direct-drilled will be
at higher risk
of developing
fusarium and the
mycotoxins they
produce.
Late planted
wheat follow-
ing potatoes
and maize, a
known source
of inoculum, are
also factors that
increase risk. A
large percentage
of the national
wheat crop was
planted late in
2008 as a resultof the protracted
harvest another
contributory fac-
tor to the high
levels of inoculum
currently being
found in some
crops.
On a practi-
cal level, once a
crop is planted
the only mea-
sures grow-
ers can take to
reduce the risk of FHB occurring is to apply
a fungicide programme using products with
some fusarium activity and culminating in a
robust T3 (or earwash) treatment.
Grain&feed millinG technoloGy Ju-augus 2009 | 13
Feature Mycotoxins
Making the Worlds Food Safer
Reduce yourmycotoxin risk
Romer Labs DiagnosticGmbH - Europe, Austria
Tel: +43 2272 615331-0, Fax: +43 2272 615331-11
e-Mail: [email protected]
distributed in the UK by: QuadraChem Laboratories Ltd.
Tel: 01342 820820, Fax: 01342 820825, E-Mail: [email protected]
or by letting your
samples be tested in
one of our accredited
laboratories around
the globe.
www.quantas-analytics.com
by checking your
sample with our
fast and convenient
rapid test kits
www.romerlabs.com
. 1 1 . . 1 :1 :
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Procam agronomist Tom Scotson
explains that whereas T3 decisions used to
be a top-up for septoria and rust control,
things have definitely changed.
Concerns with DON levels in milling
wheat and breakfast cereals, means we must
have a planned strategy to control fusarium,
says Mr Scotson.
Mycotoxins are a matter growers are
now taking very seriously.
The T3 spray is no longer a case of
using up whatever fungicides are left in thespray store!
Useful additions to the armouryWith fungicide options limited for myco-
toxin reduction, Mr Scotson describes thio-
phanate-methyl as a useful addition to the
armoury this season, especially important
because it has a different mode of action to
prothioconazole, the industry standard for
control of FHB.
Even when every possible measure has
been taken to reduce risk sometimes the
weather has the last word! Rainfall later in
the season increases risk of ZON produc-
tion. And this was seen clearly last year
when ZON proved to be a real problem
for the first time and 29 percent of samples
exceeded the 100 ppb EU limit.
Any delay in harvest has an impact onZON levels and after last seasons protracted
harvest, more samples exceeded the EU
limit for ZON than the limit for DON myco-
toxins (1250 ppb), explains Dr Edwards.
Many high ZON samples dont make
milling specification as they tend to have
low Hagbergs and specific weights and are
therefore effectively screened out and less
of an issue at mill intake.
But this isnt always the case, as suppliers
to breakfast cereal manufacturers found out
last season when initially load after load was
rejected.
Mycotoxins are found mostly in the bran
and, because this is the main fibre source in
breakfast cereals, bran is an essential ingredi-
ent! As grain is dried during processing to
approximately five percent moisture con-
tent the mycotoxins become concentrated,meaning raw grain at intake needs to be well
below the limits already set.
And to further compound matters, the
limits for mycotoxins tighten as you move
further down the food chain. Where the
limit for DON in raw wheat is 1250 ppb,
for breakfast cereals the limit is just 500 ppb.
Faced with a problem that becomes worse
during processing and the implications of a
product recall, breakfast cereal manufactur-
ers were the first to introduce rapid testing
for DON in November 2008.
Once we had the DON situation under
control, we identified issues with ZON for
Not all fungicides controlTo complicate matters not all fungicides
will control true Fusarium spp.
Azoxystrobin from the strobilurin group
of fungicides, is renowned for keeping wheat
ears golden and bright but only controlsMicrodochium spp. and not Fusarium spp.
To cover all the bases, T3 mixes must
contain triazoles or new approval Topsin
WG (thiophanate-methyl) to reduce the risk
of mycotoxins. And of the available active
ingredients only those containing prothio-
conazole, bromuconazole and thiophanate-
methyl go as far as claiming mycotoxin
reduction on the label.
Getting timing of T3 fungicides right is
crucial for maximum control of fusarium,
with best results achieved in the early flower-
ing period from the onset of flowering to
50 percent anthesis (GS61-65).
FHB is caused by several species of
Fusarium that affect wheat and Microdochium
spp. but only the true Fusarium spp. produce
mycotoxins. In the UK this means that
the presence of FHB in a crop does not
necessarily indicate a risk from mycotoxins,
whether theyll be produced depends on the
fungal species causing the infection.
One of the problems with fusarium
control is that it is not a disease that is vis-
ible when treatment needs to be applied,
symptoms of head blight dont show until the
wheat begins to ripen.
Crop Monitor is a system that provides
growers with real-time information about
the levels of fusarium infection and the
species of fungi which have been isolated
from samples in their growing region - useful
information for getting a feel for the season
and influencing spray decisions.
The limits for
mycotoxins tighten as
you move further down
the food chain. Where
the limit for DON inraw wheat is 1250 ppb,
for breakfast cereals the
limit is just 500 ppb
Grain&feed millinG technoloGy14 | Ju-augus 2009
FeatureMycotoxins
for grain producers, the costs associated
with load rejections is much higher.
One of the problems with mycotoxins
is that they dont occur in a homogenous
way, one load can be high and another
low, yet they come from the same field.
Sampling is an area being closely looked
at by The Mycotoxin Stakeholder Group,
a cross-industry informal body who are
working to find a better sampling regime
than the HGCA and the official EU tech-
niques currently used.Sampling remains an area of concern
from the growers perspective, explains
Simon Christensen, Frontiers head of
wheat trading.
They need to be confident that the tests
carried out at intake are accurate and that
the wheat imported also follows the same
requirements from a testing and sampling
regime to ensure a level playing field exists
with foreign counterparts. But the message
about the importance of mycotoxins has
been understood by farmers.
In all likelihood, 2009 harvest is not
likely to be as bad as last season but the
potential remains for mycotoxin prob-
lems to occur but hopefully this season
the industry is one step ahead!
the first time, explains Weetabixs Keith
Turnbull.
ZON appeared late and was a problem
in raw material supply but now testing is in
place for this as well.
Rapid testingSo is rapid testing here to stay? At least
until the true picture for harvest 2009 has
been established, believes Mr Turnbull.
Now the industry is set to manage an
exceptionally bad season for mycotoxins.The whole grain chain has the opportunity
to learn from it, make British farming as safe
as possible, manage the risk in t he crop and
come out stronger than before.
And Martin Savage, Trade Policy Manager
for the National Association of British and
Irish Millers, agrees rapid testing needs to
stay in place for at least the first six weeks
after harvest.
Food safety is paramount and the trade
need reassurance that the revised risk assess-
ment is working and that growers are com-
pleting the passports diligently. The introduc-
tion of the mycotoxin legislation has made
growers legally responsible for food safety on
raw wheat for the first time, he adds.
Although rapid testing is an unwanted cost
Grain&feed millinG technoloGy Ju-augus 2009 | 15
Feature Mycotoxins
Flour Milling TrainingSeven Steps to Success
Hygiene, Health and Safety
Wheat and the Screenroom
Mill Processes and Performance
Product Handling, Storage and Distribution
Flour
Power and Automation
Flour Milling Management
Course Fees
The cost per module is: 295
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includes postage, textbook and exam registration
nabim Members: Discount 95 per module (200)
Non-UK Companies: Discount 50 per module (245)
7 Modular Courses provide millers with an essential understanding and
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An indispensable tool for those new to the milling industry and for
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Asubscriptionmagazine for the global flour &feedmillingindustries-first publishedin1891
August 2009
Growingconcerns overmycotoxins
Enzymes inbreadmaking:Economic relevance,markets,and futureperspectives
In this issue:
V acuumpla ysanimportantrolein
deliveringmicro-ingredients
tolivestock
A re y ou r ea dyfor newcrop?
F OC US :E ur op e
Flouradeliverysystem
for vitaminsandmineralsreceivesWHO
endorsement
Preservingfeedmaterialsafter harvesta multifaceted
approach tomycotoxins
GFMT0904.indd 1 9/07/ 009 15:48
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INFORMATIONFORADVERTISERS-CLICKHERE
forgrainproducers, thecosts associated
withloadrejectionsismuch higher.
neofthe problemswithmycotoxins
isthattheyd ontoccurina homogenous
wa y , o ne l o adc a nbe hi g ha nda no ther
l o w, y et t hey c o m efro m t hesa mef i e l d.
Samplingisan areabeing closelylooked
atbyThe ycotoxinStakeholderGroup,
across-industryinformal bodywho are
workingtofind abetter samplingregime
t ha nt heHGC a ndt heo f f i ci a l EUt ec h-
niquescurrentlyused.
Sampling remainsanarea ofconcern
fromthe growersperspective, explains
SimonChristensen, Frontiershead of
wheat trading.
Theyneedtobeconfidentthatthetests
carriedoutatintakeare accurateandthat
thewheatimportedalsofollowsthe same
requirementsfroma testingandsampling
regimetoensurea levelplayingfieldexists
withforeigncounterparts.Butthemessage
aboutthe importanceofmycotoxinshas
beenunderstoodbyfarmers.
Inall likelihood, 2009 harvest isnot
likely to beasbad aslast seasonbut the
potentialremains formycotoxin prob-
lemsto occur but hopefully thisseason
theindustry isonestep ahead!
t he f i r s t t i m e ,expl a i ns eet a bi x sK e i t h
Turnbull.
a ppea red l a t ea nd wa sa pro blem
inraw materialsupply but nowtesting isin
placeforthis aswell.
i t t inSo israpid testing hereto stay?t least
untilthe truepicture forharvest 2009 has
beenestablished, believes rTurnbull.
o wt he i ndus t ry i s set t o m a na g ea n
exceptionally bad seasonfor mycotoxins.
Thewho l eg r a inc ha i nha s t heo ppo r t uni t y
to learnfromit, makeBritishfarming assafe
aspossible, managetherisk inthecrop and
comeout strongerthanbefore.
nd artinSavage, TradePolicy anager
fo r t he a t i ona l s so c ia t i o no fB r i ti sha nd
Irish illers, agreesrapid testing needs to
stay inplaceforat least thefirst sixweeks
afterharvest.
Food safety isparamount and thetrade
need reassurancethat therevised risk assess-
ment isworking and that growersarecom-
pleting thepassportsdiligently. Theintroduc-
tionof themycotoxinlegislation hasmade
growerslegally responsibleforfood safety on
rawwheat forthefirst time,headds.
lthoughrapidtestingisan unwantedcost
Gri n f e e d i lli nG t ec h nlGy Ju-ugus2009 | 15
Fe t u e c in
Flour Milling TrainingSeven Steps to Success
Hygiene,HealthandSafety
Wheatandthe Screenroom
MillProcessesand Performance
ProductHandling,StorageandDistribution
Flour
PowerandAutomation
FlourMillingManagement
Course Fees
Thecostper moduleis:295
(asat 2009VATat 15%whereapplicable)
includespostage,textbookandexam registration
nabim Members:Discount95permodule(200)
Non-UKCompanies:Discount50permodule(245)
7ModularCoursesprovide millerswithan essentialunderstandingand
underpinningknowledgeofthemillingindustry.
Anindispensabletoolfor thosenewto themillingindustryandfor
developingtheskillsof thecompetentmiller.
Dedicatedtutorsupportgiven toeverystudent, providingprofessional
guidancethroughoutthecourse year.
21ArlingtonStreetLondonSW1A1RN,UK
Tel:+44(0)20 74932521Fax:+44(0)20 74936785email:[email protected]
Enhanceyour
careerprospects
andincrease
potential
Internationally
recognised
distancelearning
programme
Developed
formillers
byindustry
professionals
Studiedevery
yearbyhundreds
ofmillers
worldwide
GFMT0904.indd 15 9/07/ 009 15:49
Visitnabimonline
Emailnabim
growersuse a risk assessmenteloped by the Home-Grownuthority (HGC), whichenablesakeanentry onthegrainpassport
mpanieseach load onsale andadsat risk and inneed offurther
asonthe systemseriously brokehepassportsfailed to adequately
buyersanindicationofmycotoxin
wards, explaining why thishap-ys, TheHGC risk assessmentondata from2001 to 2007 and
stimeaverage rainfallinthe pre-riod was20mm.earactualrainfallwasintheregion, witha substantialdelay to harvest thewet weatherin ugust and
r- none ofth i swasfactore d i nl!grainmillersand processorshave
einthe risk assessment systeminrlast season?GC havetakenurgent actiontoeissue.easontherisk assessment hasbeentakethesefactorsin to account
egrowersto identify fieldsat par-whichmay thenrequiretesting,rEdwards.
llas rainfall, therisk assessmenterfactorssuchas region, previousvation, variety and T3 fungicide.
rirscan re duce muchof the ri skxinsby taking measuresbeforeanted.
Crop debrisis animportant sourceofinoculumand burying thisby ploughing willreducerisk,explainsr Edwards.
Conversely, fieldswhichhave had mini-
mal cultivationsor are direct-drilled will beat higher riskof developingfusariumand themycotoxinstheyproduce.
Lateplantedwheat follow-ing potatoesand maize, aknown sourceofinoculum,arealsofactors thatincreaserisk.largepercentageofthe nat ionalwheatcropwasp l ante d l ate i n2008asa re sul toftheprotractedharvestanothercontributory fac-
tortothe h i ghlevelsofinoculumcurrently beingfound in somecrops.
na practi-callevel, onceacrop is planted
the only mea-sures grow-e rscan take to
reducetherisk ofFHBoccurring isto apply
a fungicideprogrammeusing productswithsomefusariumactivity and culminating inarobust T3 (or earwash)treatment.
e e d i lli nG t e ch nl Gy Ju-ugus2009 | 13
e c in
Making the Worlds Food Safer
Reduce yourmycotoxin risk
RomerLabs Diagnostic GmbH-Europe,AustriaTel:+43 2272 615331-0,Fax:+43 2272 615331-11
e-Mail:[email protected]
distributedin the UKby: QuadraChemLaboratoriesLtd.
Tel:01342820820,Fax:01342820825,E-Mail:[email protected]
or by lettingyour
samplesbe testedin
one of our accredited
laboratoriesaround
the globe.
www.quantas-analytics.com
by checkingyour
sample with our
fastandconvenient
rapidtestkits
www.romerlabs.com
A d _G r ai n &F e ed M i ll i n g_ G MI _ 7 _0 9 .i n d d 1 1 7 . 07 . 0 0 9 1 : 1 4 :3 3 U h r
9/07/009 15:49
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