Deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin)

In the body: High doses upset the stomach.

None of the 12 rated foods and preparations needs a cap on how often you eat it. The closest, at a serving a day, is whole-wheat bread: it uses about 46% of the room left before the daily limit. Stricter limits apply to some groups; each food below shows them.

Builds up over time. Agencies set an amount you can take in every week, or every day, for life. A food measured against it shows the grams that reach it.

All hazards

The limit

The agency’s figure1 µg/kg body weight/day
For a 70 kg adult70 µg a day
Basistolerable daily intake (TDI): what you can take in every day for life
group tolerable daily intake (TDI) (DON + 3-Ac-DON + 15-Ac-DON + DON-3-glucoside)
Average adult intake0.3–0.7 µg/kg body weight/day EFSA 2017 adults: mean chronic exposure, minimum lower bound to maximum upper bound; group acute reference dose (ARfD) 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion
Source ?EFSA 2017

Reviewed foods that carry it

11 reviewed foods carry it, 11 of them rated by dose. A food counts once, as in the foods list: preparations sharing a page (raw and cooked, canned) count once; one with its own page counts apart. Below, one line for each of 12 preparations. 12 of those lines are rated by dose. 16 measurements in all. A preparation measured more than once gets one line, the measurement the dataset leads with or a stricter one, named beside the food; the others fold under it.

Grams to the limit ?

Grams of each food that reach the limit in its window, for a 70 kg adult. Fewest first: those are the foods to watch.

Known background: an average adult already takes in 0.3–0.7 µg/kg body weight/day. Where the dataset allows, the grams below are the room left after that intake (the median of the surveys’ averages where EFSA gives one, otherwise the highest); beside each, the same limit counted from zero, the food eaten alone.

Breakfast cereal
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 30 g serving
140g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
460 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 3,700 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 30 g a day, which stays within the 140 g of room left before the limit.
4.541 µg per 30 g serving
CFIA 2010 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake is 1 µg/kg body weight/day for deoxynivalenol and its three modified forms (3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON, DON-3-glucoside). About 462 g of this cereal eaten alone would reach it in a day, and one 30 g serving adds 9.3-21.6% to the average adult's intake of 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day. CFIA measured deoxynivalenol only, so the true sum is higher and the true grams figure lower. Mean of 196 retail samples (CFIA targeted survey 2010-2011; 4% not detected, counted as zero). Acute check: EFSA's group acute reference dose is 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion (560 µg for 70 kg); a 30 g serving at the mean holds 4.5 µg, at the highest sample 62 µg.
Intake: one 30 g serving a day (Health Canada reference amount C.3), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 151.4 ng/g (mean, n = 196)
Measured on: CFIA targeted survey 2010-2011, products "Cereal - Adult" (162) and "Cereal - Children" (34) = breakfast cereals (the report counts 197 breakfast cereals); retail, Canada; origin mix [('CANADA', 127), ('UNITED STATES', 44), ('UNKNOWN', 18)]. Mean computed here from the open sample-level data (equal weight, non-detects stored as 0 = lower bound)
2 other measurements of this food
1. CFIA 2011-12, corn cereals only
  Nothing to watch: under the limit
  180g
  reaches the limit in a day
  after the highest average adult intake we found
  610 g eaten alone, from zero
  general acute: 4,900 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
  Eating it daily comes to 30 g a day, which stays within the 180 g of room left before the limit.
  3.459 µg per 30 g serving
  CFIA 2011 · grade B ?
  How it’s rated
  No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake is 1 µg/kg body weight/day for deoxynivalenol and its three modified forms (3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON, DON-3-glucoside). About 607 g of this cereal eaten alone would reach it in a day, and one 30 g serving adds 7.1-16.5% to the average adult's intake of 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day. CFIA measured deoxynivalenol only, so the true sum is higher and the true grams figure lower. Mean of 11 retail samples of corn-based cereal (CFIA targeted survey 2011-2012; 9% not detected, counted as zero); with so few samples it is indicative only. Acute check: EFSA's group acute reference dose is 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion (560 µg for 70 kg); a 30 g serving at the mean holds 3.5 µg, at the highest sample 7 µg.
  Intake: one 30 g serving a day (Health Canada reference amount C.3), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 115.3 ng/g (mean, n = 11)
  Measured on: CFIA targeted survey 2011-2012, product "Cereal - Corn" (11 samples), retail Canada; corn-based cereals. Mean computed here, nd = 0 (lower bound). Base-grain row for corn (n is small)
2. CFIA 2011-12, cereals sold as "other"
  Nothing to watch: under the limit
  310g
  reaches the limit in a day
  after the highest average adult intake we found
  1,000 g eaten alone, from zero
  general acute: 8,400 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
  Eating it daily comes to 30 g a day, which stays within the 310 g of room left before the limit.
  2.003 µg per 30 g serving
  CFIA 2011 · grade B ?
  How it’s rated
  No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake is 1 µg/kg body weight/day for deoxynivalenol and its three modified forms (3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON, DON-3-glucoside). About 1,048 g of this cereal eaten alone would reach it in a day, and one 30 g serving adds 4.1-9.5% to the average adult's intake of 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day. CFIA measured deoxynivalenol only, so the true sum is higher and the true grams figure lower. Mean of 312 retail samples labelled "Cereal - Other" (CFIA targeted survey 2011-2012; 10% not detected, counted as zero); whether that label matches the survey's breakfast-cereal group is not settled. It is a different survey year from the 2010-2011 figure and is not averaged with it. Acute check: EFSA's group acute reference dose is 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion (560 µg for 70 kg); a 30 g serving at the mean holds 2.0 µg, at the highest sample 12 µg.
  Intake: one 30 g serving a day (Health Canada reference amount C.3), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 66.77 ng/g (mean, n = 312)
  Measured on: CFIA targeted survey 2011-2012, product "Cereal - Other" (312 samples), retail Canada. NOT confirmed to be the report's 255 "breakfast cereals" (the dataset has 312 rows under this label; the mapping is unresolved). Mean computed here, nd = 0 (lower bound)
Whole-wheat bread
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 75 g serving
160g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
540 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 4,300 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 75 g a day, which stays within the 160 g of room left before the limit.
9.75 µg per 75 g serving
CFIA 2011–2012 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
Group tolerable daily intake 1 µg/kg body weight/day (70 µg/day at 70 kg). A serving is 0.139 µg/kg body weight, 13.9% of it. EFSA's adult average is 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day, so average plus serving stays under the limit (0.44-0.84) and the serving adds 20-46%, short of doubling: no cap either way.
Intake: one 75 g serving a day, 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 129.97 µg/kg (mean, n = 53)
Measured on: category: CFIA FSAP targeted survey 2011-2012, product 'Bakery Product - Bread' (48 Canadian, 5 US); 4 of 53 results = 0 (non-detects stored as 0, no detection limit (detection limit) published); median 105, max 410; DON only, modified forms not included
White bread
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 75 g serving
160g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
540 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 4,300 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 75 g a day, which stays within the 160 g of room left before the limit.
9.75 µg per 75 g serving
CFIA 2011 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol (2017) is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg/day. About 539 g of bread a day would reach it, eaten alone (an upper bound). One 75 g serving is 9.75 µg, 13.9% of the daily limit and 20-46% of the adult mean (0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day, 21-49 µg/day); the mean plus a serving stays under 1.0 µg/kg body weight/day. At the highest sample (410 ng/g) a serving is 30.7 µg, 44% of the limit.
Intake: one 75 g reference serving a day (Health Canada TRA A.1), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 129.974 ng/g (mean, n = 53)
Measured on: food-specific: CFIA Food Safety Action Plan targeted survey DON in selected foods 2011-2012, 'Bakery Product - Bread' (all bread, not white only), retail Canada (48 Canadian, 5 US), April 2011 onward; as sold
Crackers
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 30 g serving
170g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
580 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 4,600 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 30 g a day, which stays within the 170 g of room left before the limit.
3.61 µg per 30 g serving
CFIA 2018–2019 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day (70 µg/day). A 30 g serving carries 3.61 µg, 5.2% of it, and adds 7-17% to the adult mean (0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day); about 581 g of crackers a day would reach the limit, eaten alone. At the highest sample (790 ng/g) a serving is 23.7 µg, 34% of it.
Intake: one 30 g reference serving a day (Health Canada TRA A.12), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 120.495 ng/g (mean, n = 101)
Measured on: food-specific: CFIA multi-mycotoxin survey April 2018 - March 2019, product 'Crackers' (all crackers), retail Canada (21 US, 7 Canadian, 5 Italian, 54 origin unknown; sampled mid-2018 to early 2019); as sold
Tortilla chips
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 50 g serving
220g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
730 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 5,900 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 50 g a day, which stays within the 220 g of room left before the limit.
4.78 µg per 50 g serving
CFIA 2010–2011 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day (70 µg/day). A 50 g serving carries 4.78 µg, 6.8% of it, and adds 9.7-22.7% to the adult mean (21-49 µg/day), under doubling; about 733 g a day would reach the limit, eaten alone. One sample at 1,440 ng/g would put a serving at 72 µg, 103% of it: an observed extreme, not the basis of the rating. This 2010-11 row is 17 times the 2018-19 row; both are shown, neither is averaged, and the older one is flagged for recency.
Intake: one 50 g reference serving a day (Health Canada TRA S.1), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 95.5 ng/g (mean, n = 58)
Measured on: food-specific: CFIA FSAP Targeted Survey - Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods, 2010-2011, product 'Chips - Corn', retail Canada (39 domestic, 16 import, 3 unknown), samples 2010-10-11 to 2011-03-11; as sold
1 other measurement of this food
1. CFIA 2018-19, 18 corn chip samples
  Nothing to watch: under the limit
  More than anyone eats
  No realistic amount reaches the limit.
  general acute: 100,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
  Eating it daily comes to 50 g a day, which stays within the 3,800 g of room left before the limit.
  0.278 µg per 50 g serving
  CFIA 2018–2019 · grade A ?
  How it’s rated
  The counted figure is 3,800 g a day, about 76 servings a day.
  No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day (70 µg/day, 2017). A 50 g serving carries 0.278 µg, 0.40% of it, and adds 0.6-1.3% to the adult mean (0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day = 21-49 µg/day). No more than about 12,600 g of chips a day would reach the limit, eaten alone; for a single sitting (acute reference dose 8 µg/kg body weight, 560 µg), about 100,000 g.
  Intake: one 50 g reference serving a day (Health Canada TRA S.1), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 5.556 ng/g (mean, n = 18)
  Measured on: food-specific: CFIA Multi-Mycotoxins ... April 2018-March 2019, 'Chips - Corn', retail Canada; as sold
Pasta, dry
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 85 g serving
250g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
830 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 6,600 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 85 g a day, which stays within the 250 g of room left before the limit.
7.21 µg per 85 g serving
CFIA 2018–2019 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
85 g x 84.8 µg/kg = 7.21 µg = 0.103 µg/kg body weight, 10.3% of the group tolerable daily intake (1.0 µg/kg body weight/day, EFSA 2017). EFSA's adult average, 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day, plus the serving stays under the limit (0.40-0.80), and the serving adds 15-34%: no cap. Boiling moves deoxynivalenol into the cooking water (60% retained in five cooked dry pastas in a Dutch test), so cooked pasta carries less. Health Canada has no limit for it in pasta; CFIA and Health Canada found the 2018-19 levels 'not expected to pose a concern'.
Intake: one 85 g dry serving a day, 70 kg adult (DON as sold; no cooking loss credited) · Level in the food: 84.8 µg/kg (mean, n = 62)
Measured on: food-specific: CFIA multi-mycotoxin survey 2018-2019, product 'Pasta - Dry' (as sold), 62 samples, 42 detected; non-detects stored as 0 and no detection limit (detection limit) published, so this is a lower bound. All pasta types (dry, fresh, other; n = 128): mean 78.75, median 30, P95 286.5 (linear interpolation; the 'lower' percentile convention gives 280), max 1,280 (a fresh pasta); dry: P95 337 (linear interpolation; the 'lower' convention gives 280), max 540. Domestic 79.6 / import 63.6 (n = 45 / 56). 3-Ac-DON and 15-Ac-DON not detected in any of the 128
Pasta, cooked
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 215 g serving
590g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
2,000 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 16,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 215 g a day, which stays within the 590 g of room left before the limit.
7.63 µg per 215 g serving
CFIA 2018–2019 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Same occurrence as the dry row, applied to the dry weight of the cooked serving (215 g cooked is about 90 g dry). 85 g x 84.8 µg/kg = 7.21 µg = 0.103 µg/kg body weight, 10.3% of the group tolerable daily intake (1.0 µg/kg body weight/day, EFSA 2017). EFSA's adult average, 0.3-0.7 µg/kg body weight/day, plus the serving stays under the limit (0.40-0.80), and the serving adds 15-34%: no cap.
Intake: one 215 g cooked serving (about 90 g dry by SR water contents), 70 kg adult; as-sold concentration, no cooking loss credited (upper bound) · Level in the food: 84.8 µg/kg (mean, n = 62)
Measured on: food-specific: CFIA multi-mycotoxin survey 2018-2019, product 'Pasta - Dry' (as sold), 62 samples, 42 detected; non-detects stored as 0 and no detection limit (detection limit) published, so this is a lower bound. All pasta types (dry, fresh, other; n = 128): mean 78.75, median 30, P95 286.5 (linear interpolation; the 'lower' percentile convention gives 280), max 1,280 (a fresh pasta); dry: P95 337 (linear interpolation; the 'lower' convention gives 280), max 540. Domestic 79.6 / import 63.6 (n = 45 / 56). 3-Ac-DON and 15-Ac-DON not detected in any of the 128
Rolled oats, dry
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 40 g serving
850g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
2,800 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 23,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 40 g a day, which stays within the 850 g of room left before the limit.
0.99 µg per 40 g serving
CFIA 2011–2012 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
A bound, not an estimate: 1.4% of the group tolerable daily intake (1 µg/kg body weight/day) on the CFIA mean, 3.7% on EFSA's oat-milling mean, 5.5% at the CFIA maximum. Under half the tolerable intake on every reading, so it cannot trigger a cap whatever the average intake is. Acute: 0.014 µg/kg body weight against the group acute reference dose of 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion.
Intake: one 40 g dry serving a day, 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 24.8 µg/kg (mean, n = 9)
Measured on: category: CFIA 2011-12 'Oat Products' (n=9, 1.1-95.9 µg/kg); EFSA 2017 'Oat milling products' MB 65.4 (lower bound 58.5-upper bound 72.7) µg/kg, n=225, 47% left-censored
Flour tortillas
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 55 g serving
1,300g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
4,200 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 33,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 55 g a day, which stays within the 1,300 g of room left before the limit.
0.924 µg per 55 g serving
PubMed 40555889 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's 2017 group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg/day. In Turkish retail wheat tortillas (n 16, 1 positive at 158 µg/kg; mean 16.8 µg/kg, lower bound 9.9, upper bound 23.8), about 4,167 g a day eaten alone would reach it (2,941 g at the upper bound); one 55 g serving carries 0.92 µg, 1.3% of the daily limit. This is eight times lower than the bread-category figure (129.97 µg/kg, CFIA 2011-12), which suggests that figure overstates tortilla DON, but one positive in 16 wheat samples is a thin base.
Intake: one 55 g serving a day (HC TRA A.2), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 16.8 µg/kg (mean of 16 wheat tortillas (1 positive, 158 µg/kg; lower bound 9.9, upper bound 23.8), n = 16)
Measured on: Tortilla-specific, Turkish retail, 84 commercial tortillas of which 16 'wheat tortillas' (also whole wheat n 17, maize n 13); HPLC; samples as packaged (refrigerated), as sold. Not Canadian; the CFIA bread category is shown beside it as the Canadian stand-in.
1 other measurement of this food
1. CFIA 2011-12, bread category standing in for tortillas
  Nothing to watch: under the limit
  160g
  reaches the limit in a day
  after the highest average adult intake we found
  540 g eaten alone, from zero
  general acute: 4,300 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
  Eating it daily comes to 55 g a day, which stays within the 160 g of room left before the limit.
  7.15 µg per 55 g serving
  CFIA 2011 · grade B ?
  How it’s rated
  No cap: EFSA's 2017 group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg/day. The figure is a proxy, the CFIA bread category (2011-2012, 53 samples, mean 129.97 ng/g), because the survey has no tortilla product. Eaten alone, about 539 g of tortilla a day would reach it (an upper bound, since the mean is a lower-bound concentration); one 55 g serving carries 7.15 µg, 10% of the daily limit, and 1.3% of the acute limit of 8 µg/kg body weight per sitting. Flour mixes carry more ('Flour - Wheat', 24 samples, averages 339.9 ng/g; 'Wheat Products', 85 samples, 159.8), so a tortilla made from flour could sit above bread; no sourced dough-to-tortilla ratio exists, so none is applied.
  Intake: one 55 g serving a day, 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 129.97 ng/g (mean (non-detects as 0; 4 of 53 results are 0; max 410), n = 53)
  Measured on: category value, NOT tortilla: CFIA targeted survey 2011-2012, product 'Bakery Product - Bread' (53 samples; the file has no tortilla or wrap product), Canada retail; ng/g = µg/kg
Cookies
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 30 g serving
More than anyone eats
No realistic amount reaches the limit.
general acute: 41,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 30 g a day, which stays within the 1,500 g of room left before the limit.
0.41 µg per 30 g serving
CFIA 2011 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
The counted figure is 1,500 g a day, about 51 servings a day.
No cap: EFSA's group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol (2017) is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg/day. About 5,122 g of cookies a day would reach it, eaten alone (an upper bound). A 30 g serving is 0.41 µg, 0.59% of it and +0.8-2.0% of the adult mean (21-49 µg/day); at the maximum (37.7 ng/g), 1.1 µg, 1.6%. Only 3 samples.
Intake: one 30 g reference serving a day (Health Canada TRA A.10), 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 13.667 ng/g (mean, n = 3)
Measured on: food-specific but THIN: CFIA targeted survey DON in selected foods 2011-2012, 'Bakery Product - Cookie', n 3, retail Canada; as sold
Oat drink, unsweetened, fortified
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 250 g serving
2,300g
reaches the limit in a day
after the highest average adult intake we found
7,800 g eaten alone, from zero
general acute: 62,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 250 g a day, which stays within the 2,300 g of room left before the limit.
2.25 µg (at the highest value) per 250 g serving
Pavlenko 2024 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
No cap: EFSA's 2017 group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg/day for 70 kg (acute 8 µg/kg body weight, 560 µg per eating occasion). The highest value among oat drinks in a Latvian and Lithuanian retail survey was 9 µg/kg, so about 7,778 g a day (62,222 g in a sitting) would reach it, and a serving carries 2.25 µg, 3.2% of the daily limit; that is a floor for a European maximum, not a figure for the drink in general. A German survey of 31 oat drinks reached 19.4 µg/L (3,608 g a day, a serving 6.9% of the limit).
Intake: one 250 mL serving (250 g) a day, 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 9 µg/kg (highest single value (± 2 measurement standard deviation) among the oat beverages of the survey; the number of oat samples and the mean are in Table S2, not obtained)
Measured on: Pavlenko et al. 2024, retail plant-based drinks bought in Riga and Kaunas, LC-MS/MS; 72 beverages in all, oat drinks the most contaminated group; DON alone (not the sum with 3-Ac-DON, 15-Ac-DON and DON-3-glucoside that the tolerable daily intake (TDI) covers, so the group value is at least this)
Soy drink, unsweetened, fortified
Nothing to watch: under the limit for a 250 g serving
More than anyone eats
No realistic amount reaches the limit.
general acute: 280,000 g in one sitting, eaten alone Their limit is counted per sitting, not per day.
Eating it daily comes to 250 g a day, which stays within the 11,000 g of room left before the limit.
0.5 µg (at the highest value) per 250 g serving
Pavlenko 2024 · grade B ?
How it’s rated
The counted figure is 11,000 g a day, about 42 servings a day.
No cap: EFSA's 2017 group tolerable daily intake for deoxynivalenol is 1 µg/kg body weight/day, 70 µg a day, with an acute reference dose of 8 µg/kg body weight per eating occasion, 560 µg. At the highest value found, 2.0 µg/kg (retail drinks in Riga and Kaunas), 35,000 g a day would reach the daily limit and 280,000 g in a sitting the acute one; a serving at that maximum carries 0.5 µg, 0.7%. This is a European maximum, not a Canadian mean, and a German survey found lower values (maximum 0.17 µg/L).
Intake: one 250 mL serving (250 g) a day, 70 kg adult · Level in the food: 2 µg/kg (highest single value (± 0.3 measurement standard deviation) among the soy beverages of the survey; sample count and mean in Table S2, not obtained)
Measured on: Pavlenko et al. 2024, retail plant-based drinks bought in Riga and Kaunas, LC-MS/MS; 72 beverages in all; soy drinks had DON, ZEA, ENNB and ENNB1 at low concentrations; DON alone, not the sum the tolerable daily intake (TDI) covers

Sources

CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods - 2011-2012, open.canada.ca dataset 30484e10-f94e-4580-999f-3dc54eb75106 (resource cef65485-68e2-4580-8bd4-aa47c5a84c96); report page "2011-2012 Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods"
cfia-don-2011-12 · dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada
CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods - 2011-2012
cfia-don-2011-2012 · dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada
CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods - 2010-2011, open.canada.ca dataset 4c43a389-245b-4c6c-a28a-c88235064e1b (resource b87d36bc-a568-4dc5-8391-9d8afdbf6048); report page inspection.canada.ca "2010-2011 Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods"
cfia-don-ota-2010-11 · dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada
CFIA, Multi-Mycotoxins in Corn Products, Crackers, Other Grain Products, Pasta and Gluten-Free Products, 2018–2019
cfia-multimyco-2018-2019 · dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0
CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in Selected Foods - 2010-2011 (open data, datastore resource b87d36bc-a568-4dc5-8391-9d8afdbf6048)
cfia-ota-don-2010-2011 · dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada 2.0
EFSA CONTAM Panel (2017) Risks to human and animal health related to the presence of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated and modified forms in food and feed. EFSA Journal 15(9):4718 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4718 · PMID 32625635
efsa-2017-don · full text read · EFSA Journal: CC BY-ND 4.0
Pavlenko R, Berzina Z, Reinholds I, Bartkiene E, Bartkevics V. An Occurrence Study of Mycotoxins in Plant-Based Beverages Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Toxins 2024;16(1):53 · doi:10.3390/toxins16010053 · PMID 38251269
pavlenko2024-mycotoxins-plant-drinks · full text read · CC BY 4.0
Afacan FO, Odabas E, Yussuf NH, Kabak B. Co-occurrence and risk assessment of ochratoxin A and deoxynivalenol in tortillas. Mycotoxin Res 2025;41(3):475-484 · doi:10.1007/s12550-025-00596-z · PMID 40555889
pmid:40555889 · full text read · CC BY 4.0