title: Influence of water activity on deoxynivalenol accumulation in wheat.
abstract: The influence of water activity (aw) on deoxynivalenol accumulation in wheat at 25°C was studied. Gnotobiotic grains were conditioned at different aw levels, inoculated with a toxigenic Fusarium graminearum strain, and incubated for ten weeks. The highest accumulation of deoxynivalenol (1130 ug/kg) was detected at aw 0.980. At aw 0.945 and 0.925 the maximum quantities of toxin accumulated were 113 ug/kg and 93 ug/kg respectively. Deoxynivalenol was not detected in the substrate at aw 0.900. Results suggest that intermediate aw levels (0.97 - 0.92) are particularly critical at post harvest time because those are conditions under which deoxynivalenol production is most likely to be initiated naturally.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Quίmica Orgánica Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, Piso 3, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Comerio
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Fernández Pinto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaamonde