In the current study, 109 commercial nut samples were collected from different Korean markets and analyzed for the contamination of 5 different mycotoxins (aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin) using ELISA kits. The results revealed that the most frequently detected mycotoxin was zearalenone (n=36, 33%), followed by aflatoxin (n=31, 28.4%) and ochratoxin A (n=30, 27.5%). Deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin were also detected in 22 (20.3%) samples, respectively. Among 109 nut samples, 33 samples (30.3%) were contaminated only with one kind of mycotoxin, whereas 43 samples had at least 2 kinds of mycotoxins. Two samples were contaminated with as many as 4 different mycotoxins, and they were both walnuts. Although the monitoring results revealed the amount of aflatoxin contamination was under the safety criteria, there is no current safety guideline for other kinds of mycotoxins or multiple contaminations in Korea. Therefore, further studies should be performed to reveal the distribution of mycotoxin in different foods and propose appropriate safety guidelines for Korean markets.

T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin, belong to type A trichothecences, are the most toxic mycotoxins among the trichothecene family. These mycotoxins are commonly found in cereals such as maize, wheat, barley, oats and rice, and their occurrence in food can be of concern. This review investigated the current trends of patents and researches on T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin pertaining to natural occurrence, toxicity, metabolism, risk assessment, analytical and screening methods, and reduction/detoxification techniques. As compared with other Fusarium mycotoxins, there are limited data for natural occurrence and risk assessment, and regulatory limit and official analytical methods on T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin in domestic and foreign countries. In particular, selective deacetylation at the C3 and/or C4 positions of T-2 toxin by carboxyesterase present in foods was reported to cause the disappearance of T-2 and the extremely high HT-2 recoveries. Currently, regulatory limits for T-2 and HT-2 are under discussion in EU. For enforcement purposes it is essential to have available precise and reliable analytical methods applicable at the regulatory levels for the T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin and relevant commodities. In addition, a further study on natural occurrence, risk assessment and reduction/detoxification techniques will be recommended.

Nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2) and zearalenone (ZEN) are mycotoxins produced by some Fusarium species known to be very frequently contaminated in feed. The study for simultaneous analysis and contamination survey in animal feed carried out. All mycotoxins were analysed by using high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass with internal standard. The limits of detection (LOD) were 2.0 μg/kg,1.0 μg/kg, 1.0 μg/kg and 0.1 μg/kg for NIV, DON, T-2 and ZEN, respectively. Two hundred and thirty nine samples of feed were collected. The average concentration of DON was 212.3 μg/kg, 207.8 μg/kg and 812.1 μg/kg in chicken,pig and cattle feed, respectively. The average concentration of ZEN was 31.2 μg/kg, 35.6 μg/kg and 147.2 μg/kg for them, respectively. Especially, the levels of contamination for DON and ZEN were higher than those of NIV or T-2. And, the levels of contamination for four Fusarium mycotoxins in cattle feed appeared higher than those of pig and chicken feed. It was investigated that the high level of mycotoxin contamination in cattle feed was caused by corn gluten feed of ingredients for feed, mainly.

This study was designed to observe the effects of T-2 toxin on total cholesterol and lipid concentration in rat serum. T-2 toxin is a secondary metabolite produced by Fusa~rdum sp. which is often found on agricultural products including cereals, and it is a causal material of liver injuries in cattle and humans. When we fed rats with standard diet treated with T-2 toxin, the body weight and feed consumption of rats treated with T-2 toxin were decreased. As the results of lipid analysis, the concentrations of total cholesterol and free cholesterol in serum of treated rats were increased compared to non-fed control group, On the other hand, the levels of triglyceride and phospholipid in the serum of T-2 toxin treated experimental groups were declined. In conclusion, T-2 toxin largely influenced on the total cholesterol and lipid levels in rat serum.

The antifungal effects of polyphosphates on the growth and T-2 toxin production of Fusarium sporotrichioides M-1-1 were investigated. The growth of the strain was significantly inhibited in the potatoes dextrose agar medium treated with 1.5% polyphosphates or more. When we checked T-2 toxin by the indirect competitive ELISA, the strain produced 11.25 ug/ml and 10.90 g/ml levels of T-2 toxin in rice and corn containing 50% moisture contents, respectively. However, T-2 toxin was little detected in rice medium and corn medium with 1.5% polyphosphates addition for short(14 days) and prolonged incubation time(45 days). We also observed the destruction of cell wall and outflow of cell ingredients with 1% polyphosphates treatment to the strain. Therefore, moisture and polyphosphates greatly effected on the growth and T-2 toxin production of the strain.

본 연구에서는 곡류 중 트리코테센류 곰팡이독소인 T-2 독소 및 HT-2 독소의 LC-MS/MS 분석방법을 검증하고 국내 유통 곡류 중 T-2 독소 및 HT-2 독소의 오염실태를 파악하였다. 곡류 중의 T-2 독소 및 HT-2 독소를 분석하기 위해, 염화나트륨을 포함한 90% 메탄올 용액으로 추출, 원심분리, 여과, 4% 염화나트륨용액으로 희석하고, 원심분리한 후, 여과한 후 면역친화성칼럼에 의해 정제한 시료를 LC-MS/MS 동시정량 분석하였다. T-2 독소 및 HT-2 독소의 검출한계 및 정량한계는 각각 0.5 μg/kg 및 1.5 μg/kg 얻었다. matrix-matched 표준 검량식에서 상관계수 0.99 이상의 직선성을 얻었으며, T-2독소와 HT-2 독소 2배에서 10배의 정량한계로 표준용액을 첨가한 시료에서 회수율은 T-2독소와 HT-2 독소 각각 100.6±7.2 %, 96.8 ± 9.4 %로 EU 가이드라인에서 제시하는 유효성 기준을 만족하였다. LC-MS/MS 정량법을 이용하여 국내 곡류 9품목 115건에 대해 T-2 독소와 HT-2 독소의 오염도를 조사하여 본 결과, 전체 곡류 115건 중에서 T-2 독소는 83건, HT-2 독소는 93건 검출되었으며 오염도는 T-2 독소는 N.D~37.1 ug/kg, HT-2 독소는 N.D~5.4 ug/kg 으로 낮은 수준이었으며, 오염도는 유럽기준치(100 μg/kg)이내 이었다. 본 연구에서 개발된 곡류 중 T-2 독소 및 HT-2 독소에 대한 분석법은 향후 우리나라 곡류 중 곰팡이독소 안전관리를 위한 시험법으로 활용가능하며, 오염도 자료는 안전성 평가의 기초자료로 활용이 가능할 것으로 사료된다.