Evaluation of Fusarium mycotoxins and fungicide residues in barley grain produced in Uruguay

This work aims to survey the current barley grain situation in terms of the concentration level of Fusarium mycotoxins and fungicides used to control Ramularia Leaf Spot and Fusarium Head Blight in barley grain. For this purpose, a total of 89 barley grain samples from different commercial pads in Uruguay were analyzed by liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The results obtained showed that 74% of the grain samples analyzed contained fungicide residues but below their corresponding European Union Maximum Residue Limit (EU MRLs). The most frequently found fungicides were chlorothalonil, azoxystrobin, carbendazim, and fluxapyroxad which were detected at concentration levels from 0.01 to 0.36 mg kg−1. With regards to mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol was detected in 88 out of the 89 samples, while zearalenone was confirmed in eight samples. The EU MRL exceedance for deoxynivalenol and zearalenone represents the 31% and 3% of the analyzed samples, respectively. The co-occurrence of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone was also confirmed. Despite that, in general, the concentration levels of mycotoxins and fungicides comply with the MRL, the results highlight the need to perform a strict monitoring program and risk assessment to ensure human and animal food safety.