Abstract
Totals of 158 corn and corn-based samples and 291 wheat and wheat-based samples from Shandong province, China in 2017 were analyzed for five mycotoxins including beauvericin (BEA), enniatin A (ENA), enniatin A₁ (ENA₁), enniatin B (ENB), and enniatin B₁ (ENB₁) by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). BEA was the predominant toxin detected, followed by ENB, ENA₁, ENA, and ENB₁. Corn and corn-based samples were more easily contaminated by BEA with an average concentration of 65.26 µg/kg, compared with that in wheat and wheat-based samples (average = 0.41 µg/kg). Concentrations of BEA, ENA, and ENB₁ in corn kernels, flours, and flakes were significantly different (Kruskal⁻Wallis Test, p < 0.05), as well as for BEA, ENA, ENB, and ENB₁ in wheat kernels, flours, and noodles (Kruskal⁻Wallis test, p < 0.05). Furthermore, 59.5% (94/158) and 59.8% (174/291) corn- and wheat-based samples were co-contaminated by at least two mycotoxins, respectively. Positive correlations in concentrations were observed in corn between levels of ENA and ENB₁, ENA and ENB, ENA₁ and ENB₁, as well as in wheat between BEA and ENA, BEA and ENA₁, BEA and ENB, BEA and ENB₁, ENA and ENA₁, ENA and ENB, ENA and ENB₁, ENA₁ and ENB, ENA₁ and ENB₁, and ENB and ENB₁. These results demonstrate that co-contamination of BEA and enniatins (ENNs) in corn- and wheat-based samples from Shandong, China is very common. More data on the contamination of five mycotoxins in cereal and cereal-based samples nationwide are needed.