Infrared spectral properties of germ, pericarp, and endosperm sections of sound wheat kernels and those damaged by Fusarium graminearum

Abstract

Mid-infrared attenuated total reflection (Mid-IR-ATR) spectra (4000–380 cmˉ¹) of pericarp, germ, and endosperm sections from sound and Fusarium-damaged wheat kernels of cultivars Everest and Tomahawk were collected using a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer. The differences in infrared absorption bands between sound and Fusarium-damaged kernels were examined. Absorption bands in which differences were identified were compared with the mid-IR-ATR absorption bands of deoxynivalenol (DON) and Fusarium graminearum hyphae. Marked differences in absorption patterns were observed between sound and Fusarium-damaged pericarp and germ spectra, whereas those differences were negligible in the endosperm spectra. Fusarium-damaged pericarp and germ spectra exhibited a shift in the peak position of the band near 1035 cmˉ¹ along with increased absorptions at 1160, 1203, 1313, and 1375 cmˉ¹, likely due to the influence of DON and fungi in the Fusarium-damaged kernel tissue matrix. These results suggest that infrared spectroscopy can detect DON in the surface tissues of Fusarium-damaged wheat kernels.