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Background: Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced mainly by Fusarium graminearum. This fungus is the main plant pathogen associated with Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) wheat disease, causing significant economic losses and exposing human population to severe health risks. DON production changes widely among different years and areas and its effects are larger in years with abundant rainfall and high relative humidity. To date, Argentina has not established DON tolerance limits. Objective: To validate a method using GC with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and to provide evidence of DON contamination in Argentinean commercial wheat flour. Results: A total of 34 different flour samples were analyzed obtaining 91.2% of incidence with a mean level of 243 µg/kg and a median level of 165 µg/kg. The method showed acceptable LOD (24 µg/kg) and LOQ (79 µg/kg), relative SD (RSD) of the intermediate precision (RSD = 5.98%), recovery (89.3%) and uncertainty (14%). Conclusions: The method was successfully validated according to the studied parameters. Incidence results for DON contamination are low and in accordance with previous studies for years with low FHB incidence in wheat.

Carob flour is obtained from pods of some species of Prosopis, leguminous trees that abound in many desert habitats worldwide. Currently, this product is available in healthy food stores in several countries, including Argentina, as a nontraditional meal of growing interest with multiple applications for the preparation of puddings, biscuits and snacks, among others. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the microbial quality of carob flour on basis of the presence of deteriorative and pathogenic microorganisms. Fungal diversity of the mycobiota was also studied with a special interest in toxigenic fungi. Eighteen samples of carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa) were analysed. Standard plate count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria showed levels of contamination ranging from