Abstract
The efficacy of a UV-A light emitting diode system (LED) to reduce the concentrations of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1 (AFB1, AFM1) in pure water was studied. This work investigates and reveals the kinetics and main mechanism(s) responsible for the destruction of aflatoxins in pure water and assesses the cytotoxicity in liver hepatocellular cells. Irradiation experiments were conducted using an LED system operating at 365 nm (monochromatic wave-length). Known concentrations of aflatoxins were spiked in water and irradiated at UV-A doses ranging from 0 to 1,200 mJ/cm2. The concentration of AFB1 and AFM1 was determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. LC–MS/MS product ion scans were used to identify and semi-quantify degraded products of AFB1 and AFM1. It was observed that UV-A irradiation significantly reduced aflatoxins in pure water. In comparison to control, at dose of 1,200 mJ/cm2 UV-A irradiation reduced AFB1 and AFM1 concentrations by 70 ± 0.27 and 84 ± 1.95%, respectively. We hypothesize that the formation of reactive species initiated by UV-A light may have caused photolysis of AFB1 and AFM1 molecules in water. In cell culture studies, our results demonstrated that the increase of UV-A dosage decreased the aflatoxins-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells, and no significant aflatoxin-induced cytotoxicity was observed at UV-A dose of 1,200 mJ/cm2. Further results from this study will be used to compare aflatoxins detoxification kinetics and mechanisms involved in liquid foods such as milk and vegetable oils.
Highlights
The efficacy of a UV-A light emitting diode system (LED) to reduce the concentrations of aflatoxin B 1, aflatoxin M 1 ( AFB1, AFM1) in pure water was studied
The current research clearly demonstrated the efficiency of UV-A light in photolysis of A FB1 and AFM1 in ultrapure water
The results show that AFB1 and AFM1 were significantly reduced with increase in UV-A dose
Summary
The efficacy of a UV-A light emitting diode system (LED) to reduce the concentrations of aflatoxin B 1, aflatoxin M 1 ( AFB1, AFM1) in pure water was studied. Several aflatoxin decontamination methods include destruction by physical methods including heating at high temperatures; selective separation using adsorbents such as reduced graphene-oxidegold nanoparticles[11]; chemical modification using several acids, bases, and oxidizing agents; and biological decontamination using enzymes and fermentation[1] Despite their efficacy, each method presents certain challenges such as utilization of chemicals, adverse impacts on the nutritional and sensorial attributes of the food, and difficulties in scale-up, thereby limiting their use in food industry[12]. Studies show that the light intensity and the UV spectrum greatly influence the degradation of aflatoxins more than the visible and infra-red s pectrum[15]
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