Effect of milling on the content of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone in Japanese wheat

The effect of milling on the content of zearalenone (ZEA), a Fusarium mycotoxin, in a semi-processed wheat product was investigated and compared with that of deoxynivalenol (DON) or nivalenol (NIV). Two grain samples of Japanese soft wheat varieties, norin 61 and chikugoizumi, were milled to obtain three breaking flours (1B, 2B, 3B), three middling flours (1M, 2M, 3M) and two outer-layer fractions (bran and shorts). Patent flour for human consumption was made from 1B, 1M, 2B and 2M flours, while low-grade flour for animal feed was made from 3B to 3M flours. The contents of ZEA in patent flour, low-grade flour, bran and shorts were analyzed by an in-house validated analytical method using solvent extraction, multifunctional cartridge cleanup, and HPLC-fluorescence detection. A greater than 50% reduction in ZEA was observed in the patent flour of both samples, while 4–74% reduction in DON and NIV in the patent flour of the same two samples was observed. The results of this study revealed that the transfer ratios of ZEA had different features from those of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol.