PRESENCE OF DESTRUXIN A AND BEAUVERICIN IN CEREALS.

A LC-MS/MS method for the detection of destruxin A (DTX A) and beauvericin (BEA) in cereals was developed, validated and applied to commercial products collected in Italian markets in the years 2015-2016. Results showed that BEA contaminated 59 % of the samples even if only 15 of them (34%) showed quantifiable residues (comprised between 0.11 and 7.51 ng/g). The sample of red rice contaminated with the highest BEA level was also contaminated with DTX A (0.28 ng/g). Finally, no significant differences were detected between contaminated samples based on the production year and the agronomic technology used (organic or conventional farming). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]