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Contamination of cereals with fungi Aspergillus spp. and mycotoxins aflatoxins causes losses in the agrofood chain and cancers in animals and humans. This article assesses the occurrence of total aflatoxin contamination in common wheat in Romania during the 2015 - 2016 period under the influence of environmental factors and extreme weather events. Wheat samples (N = 272) taken from localities characterized by deoxynivalenol contamination in 2012 - 2014, were analyzed for aflatoxins using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and gained resuts were statistically evaluated by SPSS. Total aflatoxin contamination in common wheat was very low (max. 1.10 µg/kg) in June - August of the 2015 extremely dry year, but high values were recorded in Covasna, Harghita, and Vâlcea counties (4.00 µg/kg; 5.42 µg/kg; 4.58 µg/kg; acidic soils) in May - June 2016, an extremely rainy year. Extremely hot and dry weather conditions in July - August 2015 reduced the effects of environmental factors to non-significant correlations with total aflatoxins. The effects of the extreme drought were also manifested in 2016, but the temperature and precipitation in July - August were significantly correlated with aflatoxin contamination. The results show the occurrence of total aflatoxin contamination in common wheat grown in regions characterized by Fusarium spp. and deoxynivalenol contamination in the year following a dry year. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the last two decades and the predicted climate changes require the analysis of aflatoxins in wheat and other cereals grown in agricultural regions with low aridity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess post-harvest contamination with mycotoxins in the context of the geographic and agroclimatic conditions in Romania in 2012–2015, a period that was characterized by extreme meteorological events and the effects of climate change. The samples were randomly sampled from five agricultural regions of Romania and analyzed for mycotoxins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An SPSS analysis was done to explore correlations between mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol—DON, aflatoxins—AF, ochratoxin A—OTA, zearalenone—ZEA), product types (raw cereal, processed cereal, cereal-based food), geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, agricultural region), and agroclimatic factors (air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture reserve, aridity index, soil type). In the southeast part of the Southern Plain and Dobrogea (Baragan Plain, located at 44–45° N, 26–27° E), contamination with AF and OTA was higher in raw and processed cereals (maize in silo, silo corn germs) in the dry years (2012 and 2013), and contamination with DON was high in processed cereals (wheat flour type 450) in the rainy year (2014). DON and OTA contamination were significantly correlated with cumulative precipitation in all years, while AF and ZEA contamination were non-significantly correlated with climatic factors and aridity indices. The distribution of mycotoxins by product type and the non-robust correlations between post-harvest mycotoxins and agrometeorological factors could be explained by the use of quality management systems that control cereal at warehouse receptions, performant processing technologies, and the quality of storage spaces of agri-food companies. The Baragan Plain is Romania's most sensitive area to the predicted climate change in southeast Europe, which may be associated with its increased cereal contamination with AF and OTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]