Zearalenone (ZEN), also known as RAL and F-2 mycotoxin, is a potent estrogenic metabolite produced by some Fusarium and Gibberella species.

Zearalenone is the primary toxin that binds to estrogen receptors, causing infertility, abortion or other breeding problems, especially in swine.

[4] Often, ZEN is detected together with deoxynivalenol in contaminated samples and its toxicity needs to be considered in combination with the presence of other toxins.

[5] Zearalenone is heat-stable and is found worldwide in a number of cereal crops, such as maize, barley, oats, wheat, rice, and sorghum.

[citation needed] The naturally occurring isomer trans-zearalenone (trans-ZEN) is transformed by ultraviolet irradiation to cis-zearalenone (cis-ZEN).

[10] Zearalenone is metabolically transformed to α-zearalenol (α-Zel) or (α-Zol), β-zearalenol (β-Zel) or (β-Zol), α-zearalanol (α-Zal), β-zearalanol (β-Zal), and zearalanone (ZAN) in animals.

[17][18] There are reliable case reports of early puberty in girls chronically exposed to ZEN in various regions of the world.

Commonly used extraction solvents are aqueous mixtures of methanol, acetonitrile, or ethyl acetate followed by a range of different clean-up procedures that depend in part on the food and on the detection method in use.

The procedure is the widely used QuEChERS method that quickly and effectively extracts small molecules, like mycotoxins and pesticides, from complex food matrices and animal tissues.