DON (Vomitoxin)

Deoxynivalenol (DON, also known as Vomitoxin) belongs to the trichothecene group of mycotoxins and is formed by fungi of the genus Fusarium. Deoxynivalenol often occurs in many plant products, particularly in cereal crops such as wheat, corn, barley, oats and rye.

More as 150 trichothecenes are known and the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyl- and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol are the toxins most frequently occurring in Europe and Northern America. The toxin concentrations found in wheat, corn or rice are often in the ppm range. Due to their high cytotoxic and immunosuppressive properties these toxins pose a risk to human and animal health. In animals DON contaminated feed has led to feed refusal, and vomiting or diarrhea leading to growth depression. In humans food poisoning with DON has led to abdominal pain, dizziness, headache, throat irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and blood loss with stools. DON is a very stable compound during storage, milling, processing and cooking of food and does not degrade at high temperatures.

U.S. FDA advisory levels for DON stipulate 1 ppm for finished wheat product for human consumption and 5 ppm for grain and grain by-products for swine and other animals. We offer different analytical platforms for the analysis of DON as well as standards and reference materials.

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