Occurrence of citrinin in the wheat grain cultivated in Kosovo and Albania during 2021

Abstract

Citrinin (CIT) is a mycotoxin responsible for the contamination of many agricultural products, like wheat, barley, corn, rice and their products, as also other foodstuffs and feedstuffs used in human and animal nutrition. It is essentially produced by Penicillium citrinum, although it can also be biosynthesised from Penicillium expansum and Penicillium verrucosum and some species of Aspergillus and Monascus. However, several studies have shown that CIT is known for its genotoxic, hepatotoxic, fetotoxic and teratogenic properties. The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of CIT in wheat grain cultivated in Kosovo andAlbania. Given the fact that wheat flour is the most consumed product in Kosovo and Albania, it is necessary to analyse the CIT in wheat in these two countries. In