- Fusarium toxins are among the most common contaminants in cereals and cereal products. These natural toxins, produced by Fusarium fungi, pose a risk to both human and animal health, making their management a priority for food safety authorities worldwide.
- In 2024, the European Union adopted stricter legislation, lowering the regulatory maximum levels for deoxynivalenol (DON) and introducing legislation on T-2 and HT-2 toxins. These changes affect manufacturers, processors and laboratories responsible for mycotoxin testing, requiring quality control strategies to be adjusted to maintain compliance.
* Important changes in the regulations
- The European Union has set lower maximum levels for some Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals and cereal products. These updates mainly affect Deoxynivalenol and T-2 & HT-2.
- Unprocessed cereals (except oats) – The maximum level has been reduced from 1,250 ppb to 1,000 ppb.
- Unprocessed whole oat grains: The limit remains unchanged at 1,750 ppb.
- Cereal milling products: A new maximum level of 600 ppb has been set.
T-2 and HT-2 toxins were previously monitored using guidance levels rather than strict regulatory limits. The latest regulations introduce mandatory maximum thresholds for a range of food products, including cereals, milling products and cereal-based foods, with specific limits varying by category. The new maximum levels are:
- Unprocessed cereal grains (except barley) – 50 ppb.
- Oats placed on the market for the final consumer – 100 ppb.
- Oat milling products – 100 ppb.
- Unprocessed barley grains (except malted barley) – 150 ppb.
- Unprocessed malted barley grains – 200 ppb.
- Unprocessed whole oat grains – 1250 ppb.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also updated its compliance program to monitor additional mycotoxins relevant to human food regulations, specifically T-2/HT-2 toxins and zearalenone.
The updated compliance program also reflects the shift of FDA-regulated laboratories to multi-mycotoxin analysis methods. In both cases, this creates an opportunity for the single- and multi-mycotoxin Fusarium products of R-Biopharm Rhône. These changes mean that businesses in the food and feed sector must ensure compliance with these stricter regulations
In both cases, this creates an opportunity for the single- and multi-mycotoxin Fusarium products of R-Biopharm Rhône. These changes mean that businesses in the food and feed sector must ensure compliance with these stricter regulations.
* Ensuring compliance: Reliable testing solutions
- With access to an impressive group of R & D scientists and on-site manufacturing, R-Biopharm Rhône can respond quickly and effectively to any changes made to the regulations. We offer a range of analytical testing solutions suitable for every level of expertise, providing accurate detection of Fusarium toxins. These regulatory updates call for greater testing capacity and stricter quality control measures.
- Laboratories must adapt to the new limits by implementing advanced testing methods and ensuring their equipment and protocols are updated. R-Biopharm Rhône provides a range of validated methods using affinity immuno columns combined with HPLC and LC-MS/MS, helping laboratories achieve consistent, reliable results that meet both the new EU and US legal limits.
👉 See the article Mycotoxin multi-analysis methods
Source: food.r-biopharm.com