• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.306-311
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• 2010

To detect Fusarium mycotoxins, grain samples were collected from 32 rice fields all over the country and from 19 maize fields in eastern and midland provinces in Korea in 2009. Maize contamination with Fusarium species (54.9%) was higher than in rice (8.2%). Using Fusarium species specific PCR primer sets (Fg16 and VERT), 58 and 354 of total 506 isolates from maize samples were putatively identified as F. graminearum (11.5%) and F. verticillioides (70.0%), respectively. From rice samples, 276 of 315 isolates (87.8%) were putatively identified as F. graminearum but F. verticillioides was not identified. LC or LC-MS analysis of the samples revealed that fumonisin was the most commonly detected mycotoxin in maize samples but its level was below the regulation limit. Only two maize samples were contaminated with deoxynivalenol and zearalenone at the levels above the regulation limit. In rice samples, contamination with zearalenone was common but the levels were below the regulation limit. This study showed that most of the Korean maize and rice samples collected in 2009 were contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins but the levels were below the Korean regulations for deoxynivalenol, fumonisin and zearalenone.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.256-261
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• 2017

The effects of insecticide and fungicide treatment were investigated to reduce mycotoxin contamination of corn (Zea mays L.) seeds. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contents were reduced in the treated seeds, but aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, fumonisin, and T-2 toxin were not effective by chemical treatments. The chemical treatment did not affect the growth of saprophyte, but inhibited the pathogenic fungi such as Fusarium verticillioides, F. graminearum and F. equiseti. Myotoxin contents at different harvesting time were compared. As the harvest time was delayed, both levels of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone and frequency of Fusarium spp. increased. However, the major nutrient contents of corn seeds were not affected by harvesting period. These results show that chemical treatments are necessary to reduce the fungal contamination of corn and harvest without delay is important as well.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.105-114
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• 1996

Certain Fungi Including Aspergillus flavus produce low molecular secondary metabolite that is toxic to human and animals, which have been termed mycotoxin. Given the proper humidity and temperature like summer in Korea, are capable of growing of those hazard fungi and elaborating mycotoxin on almost any organic substrate such as traditional foodstuffs and their raw materials including rice, barley, corn, meju, doenjang and gochujang etc. Until now, some people have examined to isolate various fungi such as Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp. from traditional foodstuffs and raw materials, and have screened various mycotoxin producing strains. Some mycotoxin contamination such as aflatoxin, ochratoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone etc. also have been confirmed from similar above samples. But these data are different each other and inconsistent in experimental conditions and methods. Especially, almost experiments have been finished for one time. So more consistent experimental method and data are necessary to evaluate objectiely the safety of traditional foodstuffs subjected to the mycotoxin. For this purpose, we have to apply a new advanced technology to develop more simple and rapid methods for determination of mycotoxin and also have to concentrate our efforts on activation of research and accumulation of technology nth sustaining investment of financial support and enlargement of research installation. With those harmonious efforts, it should be possible to examine continuously nd systematically the mycotoxin contamination in our traditional foodstuffs and to assure the safety of them. Then we can maintain and develop the better traditional foodstuffs suited to internationalization.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2020

A total of 244 cereal samples (oat, sorghum, adlay, and proso millet) were collected from fields to examine the contamination of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals during harvest season in 2017 and 2018. The contamination levels of deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and zearalenone (ZEA) were analyzed individually by using the immunoaffinity column clean-up method with ultra performance liquid chromatography, and fumonisins (FUM) were analyzed by using the QuEChERS method with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Highest level of NIV contamination (120.0-3277.0 mg/kg) was observed in oat samples among the analyzed cereals. In the adlay samples, DON contamination was the highest (maximum level 730.0 ㎍/kg). The proso millet samples had a high frequency of detection of NIV and ZEA (61.5% and 57.9%, respectively), but the levels were low (average detection level of NIV, 75.6 ㎍/kg, for ZEA, 21.5 ㎍/kg). Among the cereal samples, sorghum had the highest contamination frequency of DON, ZEA, and FUM, and the co-occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxin was 70.0%, which was higher than the average of 29.9%. In order to safely manage Fusarium mycotoxin levels in cereals, continuous research on the development of contamination prevention technologies together with monitoring of mycotoxin contamination is needed.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.33-33
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• 2016

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. They can be present in where agricultural-based commodities are contaminated with toxigenic fungi. These mycotoxins cause various toxicoses in human and livestock when consumed. Small grains including corn, barley, rice or wheat are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins due to infection mainly by toxigenic Fusarium species and/or under environment favorable to fungal growth. One of the most well-known Fusarium toxin groups in cereals is trichothecenes consisting of many toxic compounds. Deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 toxin, and various derivatives belong to this group. Zearalenone and fumonisin (FB) are also frequently produced by many species of the same genus. In order to monitor Korean cereals for contamination with Fusarium and other mycotoxigenic fungal species as well, barley, corn, maize, rice grains, and soybean were collected from fields at harvest or during storage for several years. The fungal colonies outgrown from the grain samples were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium species or presence of FB biosynthetic gene were determined using respective diagnostic PCR to predict possible toxin production. Heavy grain contamination with fungi was detected in barley, rice and wheat. Predominant fungal genus of barley and wheat was Alternaria (up to 90%) while that of rice was Fusarium (~40%). Epicoccum also appeared frequently in barley, rice and wheat. While frequency of Fusarium species in barley and wheat was less than 20%, the genus mainly consisted of Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) which known to be head blight pathogen and mycotoxin producer. Fusarium composition of rice was more diverse as FGSC, Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), and Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) appeared all at considerable frequencies. Prevalent fungal species of corn was FFSC (~50%), followed by FGSC (<30%). Most of FFSC isolates of corn tested appeared to be FB producer. In corn, Fusarium graminearum and DON chemotype dominate within FGSC, which was different from other cereals. Soybeans were contaminated with fungi less than other crops and Cercospora, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Fusarium etc. were detected at low frequencies (up to 14%). Other toxigenic species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium were irregularly detected at very low frequencies. Multi-year survey of small grains revealed dominant fungal species of Korea (barley, rice and wheat) is Fusarium asiaticum having NIV chemotype.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1149-1155
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• 2020

Silage is one of the main feed components of ruminants around the world and can make up about 50-80% of the rations of dairy cows during the winter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) aqueous and ethanol extracts to improve the hygienic quality of perennial ryegrass, red clover and blue alfalfa silage samples and estimate their effect on mycotoxins concentrations. Under laboratory conditions, 63 silage samples (21 perennial ryegrass, 21 blue alfalfa, 21 red clover) were fermented with inserted aqueous and ethanol extracts of oregano and thyme and two commercial inoculants with mesophilic lactic acid bacteria. After 96 days of fermentation, in silage samples were established fermentation parameters, microbiological status and mycotoxins concentrations. It was determined that the best results for achieving hygienic quality of perennial ryegrass and red clover silage samples was by insertion of aqueous and ethanol extracts of oregano and thyme. In blue alfalfa samples, the best results of silage hygienic indicators were determined by inserting aqueous and ethanol extracts of oregano. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA) and T-2 toxin concentrations in perennial ryegrass, red clover and blue alfalfa silage samples were best reduced by inserting aqueous and ethanol extracts of oregano and thyme. The present study shows that these extracts can be used to improve silage hygienic quality, reduce mycotoxins concentrations and thus ensure the wellness of cattle.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2014

Fusarium head blight (FHB; scab) caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum is a devastating disease of wheat and barley around the world. FHB causes yield reductions and contamination of grain with trichothecene mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) which are a major health concern for humans and animals. The objective of this research was to develop an easy seed or seedling inoculation assay, and to compare these assays with whole plant resistance of twenty-nine Korean winter wheat cultivars to FHB. The clip-dipping assay consists of cutting off the coleoptiles apex, dipping the coleoptiles apex in conidial suspension, covering in plastic bag for 3 days, and measuring the lengths of lesions 7 days after inoculation. There were significant cultivar differences after inoculation with F. graminearum in seedling relative to the controls. Correlation coefficients between the lesion lengths of clip-dipping inoculation and FHB Type II resistance from adult plants were significant (r=0.45; P<0.05). Results from two other seedling inoculation methods, spraying and pin-point inoculation, were not correlated with adult FHB resistance. Single linear correlation was not significant between seed germination assays (soaking and soak-dry) and FHB resistance (Type I and Type II), respectively. These results showed that clip-dipping inoculation method using F. graminearum may offer a real possibility of simple, rapid, and reliable for the early screening of FHB resistance in wheat.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.451-462
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate fungi and mycotoxin contamination of the rice straw bale silage in Korean. It was tested the 33 samples of rice straw round bale silage with various condition which fed cattle in the farm. The level of fungal contamination was $2.1{\times}10^6\;cfu\;g^{-1}$ in the average and $9.2{\times}10^8\;cfu\;g^{-1}$ in the maximum. The fungal contamination was detected in the all of normal samples which good condition of rice straw bale silage. When the fungi was isolate and identify, it was found 28 species and mycotoxin producing fungi were 8 species as following as Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium carneum, Penicillium paneum, Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium viridicatum. Specially, Penicillium paneum was found 42% of samples and Aspergillus sp. (A. flavus, A. fumigatus) are 21% of samples. In case of mycotoxin contamination, the 42% of samples are detected more than one kind of mycotoxin. Some samples are contaminated three kinds of mycotoxin. This study was not found aflatoxin ($B_1$, $B_2$, $G_1$, $G_2$) and fumonisin ($B_1$, $B_2$), but were detected the contamination of ochratoxin A (1.0~5.8 ug/kg), deoxynivalenol (DON, 156.0~776.7 ug/kg) and zearalenone (ZON, 38.0~750.0 ug/kg). Therefore, the above results show that rice straw round bale silage expose on hazard factors as mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin contamination, and than need more research about mycotoxin in animal feed to protect animal and human healthy.