Since 2024, the maximum level for food has become stricter, and from 2027 the feed guidance value will be halved. For wheat, DON has therefore become the decisive parameter.
DON is the mycotoxin of greatest concern to the European cereal chain. It develops when Fusarium species infect the ear during flowering, in warm and humid weather. A wet flowering period means a high-risk year; a dry flowering period usually means few problems. Afterwards, little can be done: DON is heat-stable and remains present after drying and milling.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1022 lowered the maximum levels for DON as of 1 July 2024. For unprocessed cereals, the value decreased from 1,250 to 1,000 µg/kg. For unprocessed durum wheat and maize, 1,500 µg/kg applies, for oats with husk 1,750 µg/kg. Cereals for the final consumer drop to 750 µg/kg, milling fractions to 600, bakery and breakfast cereals to 400, and pasta to 600.
| Product | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Unprocessed cereals | 1 000 | µg/kg |
| Unprocessed durum wheat and maize | 1 500 | µg/kg |
| Unprocessed oats with husk | 1 750 | µg/kg |
| Cereals for the final consumer | 750 | µg/kg |
| Milling fractions | 600 | µg/kg |
| Feed materials cereals, current | 8 000 | µg/kg |
| Feed materials cereals, from 2027 | 4 000 | µg/kg |
| Pig feed, current / from 2027 | 900 / 700 | µg/kg |
A 20-tonne consignment with 1,200 µg/kg DON does not comply for food. Anyone wishing to blend the consignment with clean wheat to get below 1,000 µg/kg needs 4 tonnes of clean wheat: 20 × 1,200 = 24,000, and 24,000 divided by 24 tonnes gives 1,000 µg/kg. In the feed chain, such blending is common practice and is documented; for food, dilution is not a permitted solution for a consignment that exceeds the maximum level.
At the receiving pit, turnaround time is the limiting factor. The ROSA DONQ2 test provides a quantitative result in two minutes, with a range of 0.5 to 5.4 mg/kg in the first dilution and 4 to 30 mg/kg in the second. The strip uses water extraction, has FGIS approval for 21 to 23 commodities, and is read in the EZ-M system. This makes the test suitable for screening a load before it enters the silo.
The flip side is well known: a two-minute screening test is not a confirmation. If a result is close to the threshold, a second dilution, a duplicate sample or a laboratory analysis is required. Speed aids the decision, not the proof.
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