Summary of Opinion

The EFSA Journal (2004) 73, 1-41

Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain on a request from the Commission related to Deoxynivalenol (DON) as undesirable substance in animal feed
(Question N EFSA-Q-2003-036)

Adopted on 2 June 2004

SUMMARY
Deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin) is a mycotoxin produced by several field fungi, including Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum. The toxin is common in cereals and grains, particularly in wheat, barley and maize. Co-occurrence with other Fusarium toxins, including zearalenone, nivalenol (and other trichothecenes) as well as the group of fumonisins, is regularly observed. In domestic animals, exposure to DON results in loss of appetite, feed refusal and vomiting, accompanied with a decrease in weight gain. At low doses decreased feed intake seems to be attributable to the stimulation of the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines under practical conditions, whilst at higher concentrations vomiting is triggered by the interaction of DON with serotonergic and dopaminergic receptors. Pigs have been identified as the most sensitive animals species regarding these adverse effects. However, at present the available data on exposure via feedingstuffs are incomplete, and no safe intake levels for pigs could be deduced from these data. Following absorption, DON is rapidly metabolised by de-epoxidation and glucuronidation, yielding less toxic products. There is no evidence for teratogenicity and genotoxicity of DON and its metabolites, neither in laboratory animal species nor in target animals. Transfer of DON and its metabolites into edible tissues, milk and eggs is very low. Thus, products of animal origin do not contribute significantly to human exposure. Key words: Deoxynivalenol, animal feeds, toxicity, tissue residues.