Table 1.
Interlaboratory study results for trichothecenes and zearalenone in wheat, wheat flour, and wheat crackers. Spiking levels for recovery assessment were set to be equal to the EU maximum permitted (DON, ZEN) or recommended levels (HT-2 + T-2) where available.
| Material Description | No. of Labs a | Mean (µg/kg) | Recovery (%) | RSDr (%) | RSDR(%) | HorRat b | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIV | Wheat, 250 µg/kg spike | 14 | 194.1 | 78 | 5.8 | 17 | 0.8 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 12 | 87.12 | n.a. | 33 | 35 | 1.6 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 12 | 189.4 | n.a. | 11 | 11 | 0.6 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 13 | 377.8 | n.a. | 14 | 25 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat flour, 150 µg/kg spike | 11 | 116.0 | 77 | 6.1 | 18 | 0.8 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 14 | 52.89 | n.a. | 34 | 35 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 11 | 107.7 | n.a. | 4.2 | 9.4 | 0.4 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 11 | 214.8 | n.a. | 3.5 | 9.7 | 0.5 | |
| Wheat crackers, 100 µg/kg spike | 14 | 70.71 | 71 | 8.3 | 20 | 0.9 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 12 | 27.69 | n.a. | 15 | 32 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 13 | 64.87 | n.a. | 6.2 | 29 | 1.3 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 13 | 123.8 | n.a. | 5.8 | 22 | 1.0 | |
| DON | Wheat, 1250 µg/kg spike | 11 | 1212 | 97 | 3.7 | 9.5 | 0.6 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 12 | 635.4 | n.a. | 3.0 | 15 | 0.9 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 12 | 1201 | n.a. | 11 | 10 | 0.6 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 10 | 2420 | n.a. | 2.2 | 6.4 | 0.5 | |
| Wheat flour, 750 µg/kg spike | 11 | 692.5 | 92 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 0.6 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 14 | 351.0 | n.a. | 6.7 | 32 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 13 | 613.0 | n.a. | 3.8 | 14 | 0.8 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 11 | 1234 | n.a. | 3.3 | 10 | 0.7 | |
| Wheat crackers, 500 µg/kg spike | 13 | 448.7 | 90 | 2.8 | 19 | 1.0 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 13 | 233.9 | n.a. | 14 | 24 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 12 | 487.6 | n.a. | 5.0 | 15 | 0.8 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 12 | 1005 | n.a. | 13 | 14 | 0.9 | |
| 3AcDON | Wheat, 150 µg/kg spike | 10 | 136.5 | 91 | 5.7 | 8.0 | 0.4 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 11 | 49.10 | n.a. | 3.0 | 27 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 10 | 83.68 | n.a. | 9.4 | 7.9 | 0.4 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 9 | 67.68 | n.a. | 6.4 | 7.7 | 0.4 | |
| Wheat flour, 75 µg/kg spike | 11 | 67.01 | 89 | 8.6 | 40 | 1.8 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 11 | 30.22 | n.a. | 6.9 | 34 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 11 | 58.95 | n.a. | 10 | 32 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 9 | 96.22 | n.a. | 5.3 | 9.8 | 0.4 | |
| Wheat crackers, 50 µg/kg spike | 13 | 44.96 | 90 | 5.9 | 30 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 12 | 18.47 | n.a. | 17 | 26 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 12 | 26.33 | n.a. | 6.7 | 20 | 0.9 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 12 | 49.96 | n.a. | 12 | 20 | 0.9 | |
| 15AcDON | Wheat, 150 µg/kg spike | 11 | 141.8 | 95 | 8.5 | 35 | 1.6 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 8 | 35.64 | n.a | 5.8 | 45 | 2.0 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 8 | 41.48 | n.a | 9.3 | 25 | 1.1 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 8 | 30.14 | n.a | 7.1 | 38 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat flour, 75 µg/kg spike | 9 | 68.25 | 91 | 6.0 | 31 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 8 | 12.87 | n.a | 10 | 34 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 9 | 24.38 | n.a | 14 | 42 | 1.9 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 9 | 28.64 | n.a | 9.6 | 36 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat crackers, 50 µg/kg spike | 12 | 46.24 | 93 | 8.6 | 37 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 9 | 11.41 | n.a | 25 | 45 | 2.0 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 10 | 16.42 | n.a | 10 | 34 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 11 | 32.34 | n.a | 5.9 | 34 | 1.5 | |
| HT-2 | Wheat, 50 µg/kg spike | 14 | 46.40 | 93 | 7.3 | 33 | 1.5 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 12 | 17.33 | n.a. | 6.6 | 26 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 14 | 36.29 | n.a. | 31 | 35 | 1.6 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 12 | 133.8 | n.a. | 10 | 27 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat flour, 25 µg/kg spike | 11 | 21.60 | 86 | 6.1 | 9.9 | 0.5 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 14 | 6.629 | n.a. | 26 | 38 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 13 | 14.18 | n.a. | 8.9 | 29 | 1.3 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 14 | 32.97 | n.a. | 9.2 | 27 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat crackers, 12.5 µg/kg spike | 12 | 10.73 | 86 | 4.7 | 26 | 1.2 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 14 | 7.988 | n.a. | 14 | 31 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 14 | 19.59 | n.a. | 15 | 24 | 1.1 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 14 | 38.02 | n.a. | 11 | 31 | 1.4 | |
| T-2 | Wheat, 50 µg/kg spike | 12 | 45.89 | 92 | 12 | 28 | 1.3 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 12 | 27.50 | n.a. | 11 | 32 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 13 | 47.79 | n.a. | 34 | 41 | 1.9 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 12 | 18.01 | n.a. | 12 | 35 | 1.6 | |
| Wheat flour, 25 µg/kg spike | 13 | 20.85 | 83 | 6.3 | 35 | 1.6 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 13 | 11.53 | n.a. | 7.3 | 33 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 10 | 26.85 | n.a. | 6.3 | 8.5 | 0.4 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 13 | 37.57 | n.a. | 7.2 | 36 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat crackers, 12.5 µg/kg spike | 13 | 11.05 | 88 | 7.0 | 31 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 13 | 4.530 | n.a. | 12 | 38 | 1.7 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 14 | 8.091 | n.a. | 10 | 39 | 1.8 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 13 | 15.88 | n.a. | 4.9 | 30 | 1.4 | |
| ZEN | Wheat, 100 µg/kg spike | 10 | 95.12 | 95 | 6.5 | 22 | 1.0 |
| Wheat, contaminated A | 11 | 59.85 | n.a. | 14 | 32 | 1.5 | |
| Wheat, contaminated B | 10 | 125.1 | n.a. | 12 | 21 | 1.0 | |
| Wheat, contaminated C | 10 | 229.7 | n.a. | 11 | 21 | 1.0 | |
| Wheat flour, 75 µg/kg spike | 11 | 62.03 | 83 | 13 | 18 | 0.8 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated A | 11 | 42.49 | n.a. | 13 | 20 | 0.9 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated B | 11 | 86.38 | n.a. | 24 | 23 | 1.1 | |
| Wheat flour, contaminated C | 11 | 171.7 | n.a. | 8.3 | 16 | 0.8 | |
| Wheat crackers, 50 µg/kg spike | 12 | 47.13 | 94 | 7.4 | 31 | 1.4 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated A | 10 | 31.62 | n.a. | 17 | 23 | 1.1 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated B | 9 | 58.26 | n.a. | 16 | 24 | 1.1 | |
| Wheat crackers, contaminated C | 11 | 120.4 | n.a. | 7.3 | 38 | 1.7 |
a Number of laboratories (out of 15) remaining after the removal of invalid results and outliers. b HorRat (Horwitz Ratio) calculated using Predicted Standard Deviation from Thompson for concentrations >120 µg/kg and 22% for concentrations ≤120 µg/kg [19]. n.a.: not applicable.