To investigate into the T-2 and HT-2 toxin occurrence, 240 samples of unprocessed cereals (maize, wheat, barley, and oats) were sampled from different fields located in three Croatian regions during 2017–2018. In all samples, sum concentrations of T-2/HT-2 toxin were determined using the ELISA method, while the LC-MS/MS was used as a confirmatory method for both mycotoxins in positive samples (>LOD) and the establishment of T-2 over HT-2 toxin ratios. The results showed oats to be the most contaminated cereal, with T-2/HT-2 toxins detected in 70.0% of samples, followed by barley (40.9%), maize (26.8%) and wheat (19.2%), with the mean T-2/HT-2 ratio ranging from 1:2.7 in maize to 1:4.4 in oats. Sum T-2/HT-2 concentrations in two maize samples were higher than the indicative level recommended by the European Commission, necessitating subsequent investigations into the conditions under which these poorly investigated mycotoxins are produced. Statistically significantly (p < 0.05) higher concentrations of T-2/HT-2 toxin were determined in oats throughout study regions as compared to those found in wheat, but not maize and barley, while the concentrations of these mycotoxins were related to the regional weather in Croatia.

Ongoing climate change may affect the susceptibility of plants to attacks by pathogenic, mostly mycotoxigenic fungi with a consequent increase in the presence of mycotoxins. Fusarium fungi represent one of the most important producers of mycotoxins, and are also important pathogens of agricultural crops. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to estimate the impact of weather parameters on the natural occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins B₁ and B₂ (FUMs), zearalenone (ZEN), T-2, and HT-2 toxins (T-2/HT-2) in maize samples harvested from two neighboring countries, Serbia and Croatia, during a four-year production period (2018–2021). The frequency and contamination level of examined Fusarium mycotoxins varied by maize year of production and could be linked to weather conditions per investigated country. Among them, FUMs were found to be the most common contaminants (84–100%) of maize in both Serbia and Croatia. Additionally, a critical assessment of Fusarium mycotoxins occurrence in the last 10 years (2012–2021), for both Serbia and Croatia, was done. Results pointed out the highest contamination of maize from 2014, especially with DON and ZEN, in connection to extreme levels of precipitation observed in both Serbia and Croatia, whereas FUMs occurred with high prevalence from each of the ten investigated years.

Aflatoxins (AFs) represent the most important mycotoxin group, whose presence in food and feed poses significant global health and economic issues. The occurrence of AFs in maize is a burning problem worldwide, mainly attributed to droughts. In recent years, Serbia and Croatia faced climate changes followed by a warming trend. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to estimate the influence of weather on AFs occurrence in maize from Serbia and Croatia in the 2018–2021 period. The results indicate that hot and dry weather witnessed in the year 2021 resulted in the highest prevalence of AFs in maize samples in both Serbia (84%) and Croatia (40%). In maize harvested in 2018–2020, AFs occurred in less than, or around, 10% of Serbian and 20% of Croatian samples. In order to conduct a comprehensive study on the implications of climate change for the occurrence of AFs in maize grown in these two countries, the results of available studies performed in the last thirteen years were searched for and discussed.

The aim of this study was to develop a highly-sensitive liquid chromatographic – tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method to investigate the presence of aflatoxins (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁ and AFG₂) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in traditional homemade sausages (n = 88) collected from small family farms situated in different regions in Croatia. Aflatoxins were not detected (<LOD) in any of the analysed samples, whereas the percentage of OTA-positive homemade sausages was 14.8%, consisting of 1.1% Istrian sausages, 7.9% Slavonian sausages and 5.7% Kulenova Seka. In Slavonian sausages, the mean OTA concentration was 0.27 ± 0.09 μg/kg with a maximum of 0.38 μg/kg, while in Kulenova Seka the mean concentration was 0.26 ± 0.14 μg/kg, rising to a maximum of 0.48 μg/kg. Statistically significant differences (p = .243) in OTA concentrations across different types of homemade sausage and sampling regions were not determined.

The aim of this study was to identify and compare surface mycobiota of traditional and industrial Croatian dry-fermented sausage Kulen, especially toxicogenic species, and to detect contamination with mycotoxins recognized as the most important for meat products. Identification of mould species was performed by sequence analysis of beta- tubulin and calmodulin gene, while the determination of mycotoxins aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), ochratoxin A (OTA), and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was carried out using the LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) method. The results showed a significantly higher number of mould isolates and greater species (including of those mycotoxigenic) diversity in traditional Kulen samples in comparison with the industrial ones. P. commune, as a potential CPA-producer, was the most represented in traditional Kulen (19.0%), followed by P. solitum (16.6%), which was the most represented in industrial Kulen samples (23.8%). The results also showed that 69% of the traditional sausage samples were contaminated with either CPA or OTA in concentrations of up to 13.35 µg/kg and 6.95 µg/kg, respectively, while in the industrial samples only OTA was detected (in a single sample in the concentration of 0.42 µg/kg). Mycotoxin AFB₁ and its producers were not detected in any of the analysed samples (<LOD).

This study investigated the occurrence of 5 unregulated mycotoxins in a total of 250 traditional dry-cured meat products sampled in 2020 and 2021 in five Croatian regions (eastern, northern, central, western, and southern). Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), ochratoxin A (OTA), sterigmatocystin (STC), citrinin (CIT), and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) concentrations were related to the geographical region of the product’s origin and to local weather. The results revealed the contamination of 27% of samples, namely, STC in 4% of samples in concentrations of up to 3.93 µg/kg, OTA in 10% of samples in concentrations of up to 4.81 µg/kg, and CPA in 13% of samples in concentrations of up to 335.5 µg/kg. No AFB₁ or CIT contamination was seen. Although no statistically significant differences in concentrations of individual mycotoxins across the production regions were found, differences in mycotoxin occurrence were revealed. The eastern and western regions, with moderate climate, delivered the largest number of contaminated samples, while the southern region, often compared with subtropics, delivered the smallest, so that the determined mycotoxins were probably mainly produced by the Penicillium rather than the Aspergillus species. Due to the interaction of various factors that may affect mycotoxin biosynthesis during production, the detected concentrations cannot be related solely to the weather.