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Fifty‐one samples of cereals from the 1984 harvest from Korea were analyzed for nivalenol (NIV), fusarenon‐X (FX), deoxynivalenol (DON) and 3‐acetyl‐DON by gas chromatography (GC) utilizing a 63Ni electron capture detector (ECD), and were quantitated for zearalenone (ZEN) by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector (FD). Trichothecences and ZEN in the positive samples were confirmed by GC‐mass spectrometry (MS). Out of 51 samples, 51, 46 and 42 were positive for NIV, DON and ZEN, respectively, and one malt sample was heavily contaminated with NIV (2675 ng/g) and DON (246 ng/g), and one wheat sample was heavily contaminated with NIV (3169 ng/g). Neither FX nor 3‐acetyl‐DON was detected in any of the samples. The data reported here indicates that Korean cereals harvested in 1984 are simultaneously contaminated with NIV, DON and ZEN, and the incidences and levels are similar to those observed in the cereals harvested in 1983.

By adopting a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous detection of nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin, DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), the natural occurrence of these mycotoxins in Japan in retail marketed cereal flours, popcorn and health foods (totalling 76 samples) was surveyed. Significant contamination by NIV and DON was observed in commercial wheat and barley flours, and partially milled grains which are consumed as rice ingredients. Of particular interest was the presence of DON in popcorn imported from the United States, and the high‐level contamination of NIV and ZEN in job's‐tears (Hatomugi in Japanese), a widely marketed health food.

A simple and sensitive method has been developed for the analysis of two trichothecene mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol and nivalenol) in cereals. These toxins were extracted with acetonitrile/water (3:1), defatted with n-hexane and purified by a two-step chromatographic procedure using Florisil and Sep-pak columns. The amounts of deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV) in the column eluates were quantitated by gas chromatography with electron capture detector and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (selected ion monitoring). The limits of detection of the method were 2.0 micrograms/kg for DON and NIV with recoveries of the toxins spiked into polished rice, wheat and corn at 300 micrograms/kg averaging 87% and 86% respectively.