Studies on the Toxic Substances in Barley Infected with Fusarium spp

Abstract

Using the procedure employed for the separation of fusarenon and nivalenol, toxic substances were separated from cereal grains infected with Fusarium in the crop field of Kagawa-ken in 1970. Production of the toxic substances in culture filtrates of the isolated strain was also determined. The results are summarized as follows:
(1) Fusarium spp., Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. were isolated from moldy grains of barley and wheat. Fusarium roseum or related species were found to be a majority of casual fungi.
(2) Moldy grains mainly contained “Rd-toxin”, mp. 149. 5-151°C, and nivalenol, mp. 224-226°C, both toxic to mice and protozoa and the former was considered as a newly found mycotoxin having a scirpene nucleus.
(3) Phytotoxic butenolide, mp. 115-117°C, hardly detectable in the grains, and Rd-toxin were separated from culture filtrates of the isolated Fusarium roseum strain, whereas nivalenol was not detected.