Use of carrageenan for the reduction of deoxynivalenol contamination in wheat and barley kernels

Wheat and barley are among the more important staple foods for human and animal nutrition in the World. Nevertheless, these crops constantly suffer from the Fusarium Heat Blight disease, responsible for decrease in yields and the bioaccumulation of the trichothecene deoxynivalenol in kernels. Searching for alternatives to overcome these problems, a set of 14 trials involving wheat and barley cultivars over two consecutive harvest seasons (2018-2019) were carried out in the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The tests consisted in the use of a carrageenan-rich product (Algomel Push®) produced from the red-algae Solieria chordalis in the rates of 1.0 and 2.0 L ha-1 sprayed at the beginning of the tillering stage. Overall, the use of carrageenan decreased DON contamination up to 34.64% and 35.74% when 1.0 and 2.0 L ha-1 of carrageenan was applied in wheat and barley, respectively. An increase in yield and kernels with better bromatological aspects were also seen after the use of carrageenan. Our findings suggest that the bioactive compounds found in the product, mostly carrageenan, have the ability of eliciting the plant’s mechanisms of defence and growth, and can be considered a potential option/tool for farmers and industries to cope with the problem of food quality in their mycotoxicological and bromatological aspects. Key-words: DON; elicitation; FHB; Fusarium graminearum; Solieria chordalis