Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)

Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, are pervasive contaminants in crops worldwide, with aflatoxin B1 being particularly significant due to its effects on agricultural production and food safety. Serbia has a well-developed crop production sector. The increasing risk of aflatoxin contamination in certa...

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Main Authors: Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski, Krstović Saša, Jajić Igor, Guljaš Darko, Damjanović Marko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2024-12-01
Series:Contemporary Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/contagri-2024-0025
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author Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski
Krstović Saša
Jajić Igor
Guljaš Darko
Damjanović Marko
author_facet Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski
Krstović Saša
Jajić Igor
Guljaš Darko
Damjanović Marko
author_sort Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski
collection DOAJ
description Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, are pervasive contaminants in crops worldwide, with aflatoxin B1 being particularly significant due to its effects on agricultural production and food safety. Serbia has a well-developed crop production sector. The increasing risk of aflatoxin contamination in certain parts of Europe, particularly the Balkan Peninsula, became evident during the 2013 outbreak. This study presents the results of 14-year monitoring (2010–2023) of corn for the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 in the Republic of Serbia. A total of 1167 samples were analyzed, of which 422 samples (36%) exceeded the limit of quantification. Among these, 183 samples were above the EU regulatory limits (EC, 2002), while 150 samples were above the regulatory limits of the Republic of Serbia. The year 2012 was particularly prominent for the high occurrence and concentration of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in corn, when 128 out of 132 samples tested positive for AFB1. The average concentration in all positive samples was 55±57 µg kg-1, with a maximum value of 367 µg kg-1, which exceeded the Serbian legal limit by over ten times and the EU limit by more than fifteen times. High incidence of AFB1 in analyzed samples was also in 2022, with 61% of samples exceeding the AFB1 limit of quantification. The average concentration in 2022 was 47±81 µg kg-1, with a maximum recorded value of 560 µg kg-1. The results indicate that aflatoxin B1 will remain a persistent challenge in crop production, with certain years exhibiting exceptionally high levels of contamination.
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spelling doaj-art-781b0d7f53bc4c93ac20b499a39dcf262025-08-20T02:36:19ZengSciendoContemporary Agriculture2466-47742024-12-01733-420721210.2478/contagri-2024-0025Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski0Krstović Saša1Jajić Igor2Guljaš Darko3Damjanović Marko41University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia1University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia1University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia1University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia1University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, SerbiaMycotoxins, including aflatoxins, are pervasive contaminants in crops worldwide, with aflatoxin B1 being particularly significant due to its effects on agricultural production and food safety. Serbia has a well-developed crop production sector. The increasing risk of aflatoxin contamination in certain parts of Europe, particularly the Balkan Peninsula, became evident during the 2013 outbreak. This study presents the results of 14-year monitoring (2010–2023) of corn for the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 in the Republic of Serbia. A total of 1167 samples were analyzed, of which 422 samples (36%) exceeded the limit of quantification. Among these, 183 samples were above the EU regulatory limits (EC, 2002), while 150 samples were above the regulatory limits of the Republic of Serbia. The year 2012 was particularly prominent for the high occurrence and concentration of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in corn, when 128 out of 132 samples tested positive for AFB1. The average concentration in all positive samples was 55±57 µg kg-1, with a maximum value of 367 µg kg-1, which exceeded the Serbian legal limit by over ten times and the EU limit by more than fifteen times. High incidence of AFB1 in analyzed samples was also in 2022, with 61% of samples exceeding the AFB1 limit of quantification. The average concentration in 2022 was 47±81 µg kg-1, with a maximum recorded value of 560 µg kg-1. The results indicate that aflatoxin B1 will remain a persistent challenge in crop production, with certain years exhibiting exceptionally high levels of contamination.https://doi.org/10.2478/contagri-2024-0025aflatoxin b1cornmonitoringserbia
spellingShingle Horvatović Miroslava Polovinski
Krstović Saša
Jajić Igor
Guljaš Darko
Damjanović Marko
Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
Contemporary Agriculture
aflatoxin b1
corn
monitoring
serbia
title Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
title_full Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
title_fullStr Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
title_full_unstemmed Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
title_short Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn in Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, Over the Last Fourteen Years (2010-2023)
title_sort occurrence of aflatoxin b1 in corn in vojvodina republic of serbia over the last fourteen years 2010 2023
topic aflatoxin b1
corn
monitoring
serbia
url https://doi.org/10.2478/contagri-2024-0025
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