Evaluation of safety and quality of organic durum wheat from experimental fields in Italy.

The world key highlights of human alimentation mainly include care about food quality, interest in natural products and the awareness of the relationship between food and health. Durum wheat is the best raw material for pasta and other traditional products and represents an important traditional crop for Mediterranean countries such as Italy. In this context, organic agriculture is of actual importance owing to the consumers pererences for organic products. Therefore, organic production of durum wheat needs to be investigated, especially in regards to quality and safety. Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), are the most important contaminants in the food chain and consequently are strictly related to human health and economy. The occurrence of mycotoxins in cereal foods produced by organic or convent method is a controversial issue. So far, it cannot be concluded that either type of farming leads to increased risk of mycotoxin contamination. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality and safety of organic durum wheat (Triticum durum) grown in temperate and irrigated lands of Italy. The study was performed within the framework of the Italian National project "Cereal organic farming: agrotechnical and genetic approaches for yield and quality improvement of common and durum wheat and the valorization of their products" (BIOCER). Different durum wheat cultivars were grown with organic agro-techniques in several experimental fields located in North, Center and South Italy. The study was carried out over three one year seasons: 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. A total of 630 kernel samples were collected and analysed. The DON occurrence in grains was considered and levels were assessed by both ELISA and HPLC methods. Quality traits, such as protein content, gluten quality and colour were also evaluated.