Occurence of deoxynivalenol in beers commercialized in Italy

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most frequently detected mycotoxin in beer. This study represents a comprehensive assessment of DON occurrence in beers from the Italian market. Seventy-two craft and industrial beer samples were tested using the RIDASCREEN DON® ELISA method. DON was found in all samples. The average DON contamination was 34.3 !g/L (range: 6.1 - 111.2 !g/L). The highest contamination level was found in a wheat-based sample. Our study determined that wheat-based beers have a higher DON contamination than barley-based beers. Further studies are needed to verify the role of single ingredients on the risk of DON accumulation in beers.