Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OTA) are key concerns of the food industry because of their toxicity and pollution scope. This study investigated the effects of ozone and electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the degradation of ZEN and OTA. Results demonstrated that 2 mL of 50 μg/mL ZEN was completely degraded after 10 s of treatment by 2.0 mg/L ozone. The degradation rate of 1 μg/mL ZEN by 16 kGy EBI was 92.76%. Methanol was superior to acetonitrile in terms of degrading ZEN when the irradiation dose was higher than 6 kGy. The degradation rate of 2 mL of 5 μg/mL OTA by 50 mg/L ozone at 180 s was 34%, and that of 1 μg/mL OTA by 16 kGy EBI exceeded 90%. Moreover, OTA degraded more rapidly in acetonitrile. Ozone performed better in the degradation of ZEN, whereas EBI was better for OTA. The conclusions provide theoretical and practical bases for the degradation of different fungal toxins.
Highlights
Crop pollution by fungal toxins is a global issue that causes massive annual economic losses.Large territorial areas of China are located in temperate and subtropical zones, offering favorable climatic conditions for the growth and reproduction of toxic fungi [1]
The present study provides theoretical and practical bases for ochratoxin A (OTA) and ZEN degradation in food by ozone and electron beam irradiation (EBI)
R2 represents the square of the correlation coefficient, and the determination coefficient R2 is a relative index of goodness of fit between the regression line and the observed value of the sample, reflecting the proportion of the fluctuations of the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent variable
Summary
Large territorial areas of China are located in temperate and subtropical zones, offering favorable climatic conditions for the growth and reproduction of toxic fungi [1]. Ochratoxin A (OTA) of Aspergillus and Penicillium [3] exhibited the most extensive distribution and strongest toxicity among the more than 400 toxic fungi discovered far [4]. Numerous studies have reported on the reproduction, genetic, and immune toxicities of ZEN, which causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in humans and animals [5]. Animal toxicological experiments and clinical studies have demonstrated the strong nephrotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and carcinogenicity of OTA [6,7]. As a strong oxidant, can attack the double bond in organic compounds through molecules and free radicals in a liquid system [8,9,10]. Ozone exhibits acceptable permeability and can Toxins 2020, 12, 138; doi:10.3390/toxins12020138 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins
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