Safety and Efficacy Evaluation of Degradation of Aflatoxin B1 by Low-temperature Radio Frequency Plasma

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the application of Low-Temperature Radio Frequency Plasma (LTRFP) in the degradation of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). After AFB1 was exposed to LTRFP, the degradation rate was analyzed by HPLC and the acute toxicity of the degradation products was evaluated in Wistar rats and Human Hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). The results showed that AFB1 could be effectively degraded by LTRFP and the degradation rate decreased with initial AFB1 concentration rise. In initial concentration 0.2 mg/L, the degradation rate of AFB1 reached up to 95.34%; nevertheless, as the AFB1 concentration increased to 100 mg/L, the degradation rate declined markedly to 29.32%. The degradation product with degradation rate 29.32% was subjected to toxicity evaluation in rats and a LD50 of 29.41 mg/kg•bw with 95% confidence limit 25.15-34.40 mg/kg•bw was recorded, which was much higher than that of untreated AFB1 (0.5 to 10 mg/kg•bw). Similar results were also found in the HepG2 cells and the acute toxicity of the degradation product was reversely proportional to the degradation rate. It could be concluded that LTRFP was a potential alternative for the detoxification of AFB1 due to the reduced toxicity of the degradation product.