One hundred and fifteen samples of postharvest corn from the 1994/1995 season, from different locations of Brasil, Argentina and Paraguay, were examined for deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 toxin. The samples were obtained from the Brazilian Corn Association. DON was extracted with acetonitrile - water (84 + 16) and the extract submitted to a cleanup on a charcoal - alumina - Celite colunm. The detection was performed on silica gel TLC plates impregnated with aluminum chloride solution. After development the plates were heated and examined under UV light (366 nm). An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), direct and competitive, was employed for the detection and quantitation of T-2 toxin. The average recoveries for DON and T-2 toxin were above 70%. The detection limits were 90 ng/g for DON and 50 ng/g for T-2 toxin. DON was found in 7 of the samples (102 - 542 ng/g) and T-2 toxin in one sample (104 ng/g).
Deoxynivalenol; T-2 toxin; corn
