Occurrence of deoxynivalenol in cereals and cereal based products: a short review

During recent decades, the contamination of cereal grains with toxic metabolites of Fusarium species has been increasingly documented. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common trichothecene toxins produced by F. graminearum. Wheat, rice, corn (maize), oats, barley and other grains used for human and animal consumption are frequently contaminated with DON. DON affects animal and human health causing vomiting, acute temporary nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, and fever. In this paper, we reviewed recent studies in DON contamination in cereals and cereal based products.