Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum from Syrian wheat grains: fumonisin production

Fusarium species are predominantly found associated with Fusarium head blight in wheat and other small-grain cereals all over the world. F. verticillioides (Fv) and F. proliferatum (Fp), the less frequently encountered species, are less pathogenic but toxigenic. The occurrence of these species in harvested wheat and cereals grains could indicate the presence of fumonisin mycotoxins. The risks of the consumption of fumonisin contaminated grains must not be ignored. In Syria, wheat is the main strategic crop and its two main products, bread and bulgur, are common food stuffs. The average consumption of bread per capita per month is 12.9 Kg. The aim of the study was to detect the presence of fumonisins in Syrian wheat grains and the ability of Fv and Fp in their production. Fourty-eight grain samples of durum and soft wheat were collected from different Syrian areas during years 2009 and 2010. Mycological analysis was performed on four hundred kernels for each sample. All Fusarium isolates were studied morphologically and molecularly, and then screened for their ability in producing mycotoxins in wheat cultivation. Fusarium infected samples were analyzed also for mycotoxin content using HPLC–MS/MS. The data revealed that F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum were present in Syrian wheat grains with frequencies of 10.4% and 8.0%, respectively towards the total of Fusarium population. All the strains were able to produce fumonisins B1, B2, B3 (FB1, FB2, FB3), and 10 % of the grain samples were contaminated with low levels of FB1, FB2.