Determination of trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum strains isolated in Hungary

A total of 42 strains of Fusarium graminearum isolated from cereals, maize, grasses and air were screened for their ability to produce 8‐ketotrichothecenes [deoxynivalenol (DON), 3‐acetyldeoxynivalenol (ADON), 15‐ADON, nivalenol (NIV)]. The isolates were grown on the solid substrate of rice grains in the dark at 25 and 10°C for 28 days. Toxin analyses were made by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) technique. The GC‐MS was more suitable for qualitative and quantitative determination of acetyl‐DONs, than high‐performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique. Of the 42 F. graminearum isolates, 39 produced DON, 34 produced both 3‐ and 15‐ADON and one produced DON‐NIV. The quantity of DON varied with isolates (46–6840 mg/kg). Our results suggest that strains of F. graminearum prevailing in Hungarian cereal‐ and maize‐growing regions belong to DON chemotype.