Hulless oats and hulless barley are highly valued for their excellent nutritional attributes and are increasingly being promoted in human nutrition. However, special attention should be paid to the risk of their contamination by Fusarium mycotoxins, as the rate of mycotoxin reduction during processing could be much lower than that for hulled cereals. In the present study, mycotoxin contamination of two cultivars, each of hulless oats and barley suitable for food purposes were studied in a 3-year field trial established in two contrasting environments. The contents of the mycotoxins regulated by law (deoxynivalenol and zearalenone) were low, and the present legal limits for their maximum content in unprocessed cereals were far from being exceeded. The mycotoxins most frequently occurring in hulless barley were enniatins (enniatin B, enniatin B₁ and enniatin A₁), beauvericin and nivalenol; hulless oats most frequently contained the HT-2 and T-2 toxins, beauvericin and enniatin B. The contents of enniatins and nivalenol were higher in barley than in oats. Close, positive relationships between the contents of the individual enniatins and between enniatins, beauvericin and nivalenol were observed, which implies that co-exposure could enhance the toxic potential of these mycotoxins through synergistic effects. The results highlight the need to pay more attention to the occurrence of enniatins, beauvericine and nivalenol in hulless oats and barley used for food purposes.

The aims of the study were to obtain information about the occurrence of ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) in cereals harvested in the Czech Republic and to compare two analytical procedures for detecting OTA. A total of 34 cereal samples, including two matrix reference materials (R-Biopharm, Germany), were analysed. The results were compared with the limit for raw cereal grains used as a foodstuff according to Commission Regulation No. 1881/2006, which allows a maximum OTA level of 5 µg kg⁻¹. Compared were two methods based on the high-performance liquid chromatography principle, one using the immunoaffinity columns OchraTest™ (VICAM) and the second based on solvent partition (PART), both followed by fluorescence detection. The highest OTA contents were found in two barley samples. According to the method employed, the results for the first sample (malting barley) were VICAM = 31.43 µg kg⁻¹ and PART = 44.74 µg kg⁻¹. For the second sample (feeding barley) they were VICAM = 48.63 µg kg⁻¹ and PART = 34.40 µg kg⁻¹. Two samples of bread wheat had an OTA content approaching the legal limit (VICAM = 4.71 µg kg⁻¹ and PART = 6.03 µg kg⁻¹; VICAM = 4.12 µg kg⁻¹ and PART = 3.95 µg kg⁻¹). CIT was analysed using the PART method only, and its highest content (93.64 µg kg⁻¹) was found for the malting barley sample with high OTA content (44.74 µg kg⁻¹ as analysed using PART).

The deoxynivalenol content, presence of kernels infected by \ud Fusarium\ud spp. pathogens and the frequency of visually scabby kernels in wheat intended for human consumption were monitored in 2003–2005. About 1000 samples provided by growers from various regions of the Czech Republic were analysed each year. Immunochemical assay ELISA-based kits for the analysis of deoxynivalenol content were employed. In 2003, 2004 and 2005, deoxynivalenol was detected at the maximum levels of 5090 μg.kg\ud −1\ud , 18300 μg.kg\ud −1\ud and 4437 μg.kg\ud −1\ud , respectively. Significant correlations were found between the deoxynivalenol content and percentage of kernels infected by \ud Fusarium\ud spp. pathogens, and percentage of visually scabby kernels. In all years under study, the relationship between the deoxynivalenol content and percentage of visually scabby kernels was closer than that between the deoxynivalenol content and percentage of kernels infected by \ud Fusarium\ud spp

Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone content and the presence ofFusarium species in organically and conventionally grown wheat harvested in the Czech Republic during 2015-2017 were studied. Mycotoxin contamination was compared using two approaches. The first was based on samples taken from randomly selected farms in individual regions of the Czech Republic, both organic (154 samples) and conventional (330 samples). In the second approach, a sample set of conventional wheat compatible with organic one was formed, with samples paired according to the preceding crop and region of harvest. Using the first approach, mycotoxins were shown to be higher in conventional wheat; however, there was no difference in mycotoxin contamination between organic and conventional wheat using the second approach. Eight wheat samples with mycotoxin content above the EU limits were found, seven for deoxynivalenol (2.1%) and one for zearalenone (0.3%), all of them originated from conventional farming system. Six of them had maize as the preceding crop. The presence of fiveFusarium species (Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium poae andFusarium sporotrichioides) was compared for the compatible wheat sample sets (second approach). The predominant species were found to beF. poae andF. graminearum in both the organic and conventional wheat. Harvest year significantly influenced both the occurrence of the mainFusarium species and the level of mycotoxin contamination. The study confirmed that (a) organic farming system was able to keep mycotoxin contamination of wheat at a low level, (b) in studies on the significance of organic/conventional agricultural practice on mycotoxin levels in cereals, it is important to pay attention to common production and environmental variables.

The effect of F. culmorum inoculation on the yield and quality of grain of AF Cesar and AF Lucius barley varieties was monitored. Field experiments were conducted between 2015-2017 at two locations. In grain harvested from plots grown under natural infection conditions, the deoxynivalenol content was very low. Inoculation caused a decline in germination, a certain reduction in yield and a change in some qualitative parameters (reduction in protein and fiber content, increase in starch content), but the effect of inoculation was weak and significantly influenced by the environment and the variety. The β-glucan content was not affected by inoculation. The varieties differed significantly from each other in β-glucan content (AF Cesar > AF Lucius). The deoxynivalenol content of both varieties was comparable after the inoculation while it differed under conditions of the natural infection (AF Cesar < AF Lucius).

The objective of this two-year study was primarily the evaluation of the free and the bound forms of phenolic acids and phenolic aldehydes (PAAs) in grains of four selected cultivars of spring durum wheat subjected to three treatment intensities (GD—Green Deal, BT—Basic and IT—Intensive). All treatments included a common basic level and different spring production levels of nitrogen fertilisation (0 kg N in the case of GD; 30 kg N in the case of BT; and 60 kg N in the case of IT). Pesticide applications included herbicides and insecticides in both the BT and IT treatments, which were supplemented by combinations of fungicide and morphoregulator in the IT treatment. The GD treatment included only basic nitrogen, herbicide protection, and the application of a biostimulator (ExelGrow). The spring durum wheat cultivars subjected to testing were cultivated under Central European conditions, specifically in the Czech Republic’s central Bohemian region. UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS was used for the detection and accurate quantification of PAAs. In parallel, 12 other nutritional and basic technological parameters of the cereal were evaluated. Nine bound and seven free forms of PAAs were quantified in the analysed cereal samples. Bound forms of PAAs were dominant, accounting for 99.4% of total PAAs. Considering single PAAs, ferulic acid was the most abundant, accounting for 87% of the total bound PAAs. Interestingly, year and treatment intensity were the key factors in the variability of both free and bound PAAs, but these factors had different effects on bound PAAs. Under low nitrogen conditions, plants responded with an increase in free PAAs in particular, as well as in three bound PAAs. Unfavourable weather conditions, combined with the presence of biotic factors (e.g., Fusarium infections), significantly influenced the increase in both PAA groups, with the exception of free p-coumaric acid. PCA analysis confirmed close relationships between PAAs within both categories (free and bound). Subsequent correlation analysis further revealed that the immunoreactive gluten component (G12) exhibited a high negative correlation with the dominant ferulic acid (r = −0.70) and sinapic acid (r = −0.68). Additionally, moderate negative correlations were observed between four bound phenolic acids and grain hardness (r = −0.48–−0.60).