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.

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Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) often contaminate cereals and cereal by-products. Certain thermal processing methods used in the food industry show promising results in terms of reduction of cereal contamination with mycotoxins. In order to establish the degree of DON and ZEN reduction in naturally contaminated cereals (maize, wheat and oat), this study investigated the effects of cooking, roasting and extrusion cooking, performed at different temperatures (100 – 220 °C) and for a different length of time (10 – 30 min) on these mycotoxins concentrations. Before and after the treatment, cereal samples were analysed for DON and ZEN concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In comparison to cooking, which achieved only a negligible mean mycotoxin reduction (of up to 8% for DON and 11% for ZEN), roasting and extrusion cooking resulted in a significantly more pronounced mycotoxin reduction (of up to 40% for DON &amp; 46% for ZEN and of up to 75% for DON &amp; 80% for ZEN, respectively) (p &lt; 0.05). The results show similar effects of thermal processing on all of the studied cereals (p &gt; 0.05), suggesting that extrusion cooking can be considered as an effective thermal method capable of reducing mycotoxin content in cereals.

Honey is an important food supplement in the human diet because of its nutritional quality. Therefore, honey should be safe for human consumption. The purpose of this research was to evaluate physicochemical and microbiological properties of 64 honey samples. The physicochemical analysis (water content, hydroxymethylfurfural, electrical conductivity and diastase activity) showed that 95.31% of samples meet Croatian and European standards. Microbiological quality of tested samples was considered good with no pathogenic bacteria detected. In 34.38% of the samples, the yeast and mold count exceeded the limit established by legislation. The presence of yeasts was noted in 17 samples varying from 18 to 1300 CFU/g, whereas mold count ranged from 18 to 182 CFU/g. The study revealed that out of six genera of molds recovered, Cladosporium was the most frequent, followed by Alternaria, Penicillium, Mucor, Aureobasidium, and Stachybotrys. Considering that the majority of molds identified in this study are commonly found in bee hive environment and in digestive tract of honey bees, it can be concluded that the mold contamination of honey in this study derives mainly from primary sources. The presence of Stachybotrys sp. is an indicator of contamination that comes from secondary sources. Practical applications Due to continuous expansion of the world honey market and increasing awareness of consumers towards healthy food, the importance of quality control of honey has also grown. In respond to these demands, this study presents physicochemical and microbiological properties of different types of Croatian honey, with special emphasis laid on the identification of the present molds in incompatible samples. The results of this study provide useful data that Croatian honey has good level of quality and contribute to better understanding of the genera of molds present in the honey from this region.