Deoxynivalenol in cereal-based baby food production process. A review

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the highest occurring mycotoxin of Fusarium species. Its presence in cereal-based infant foods is extremely undesirable, especially considering the increased sensitivity of this population group to toxins. There are various studies on the influence of processing operations on DON and its conjugated levels in raw materials, however there is no available publication on baby food production process impact on DON. According to the available studies on the occurrence of DON and its conjugates in cereal-based infant food, it often occurs above the legally allowed limit, thus there is a need to study the influence of production processes on its evolution from raw materials to the final product. The available studies suggest that there are two production steps with a significant impact on DON concentration, namely enzymatic hydrolysis, which leads to its increase due to the release of the toxin from the cereal matrix, and drum drying, which might decrease DON concentration thanks to the high temperatures employed and highly efficient temperature penetration into the product.