Selection of Bacillus spp. with decontamination potential on multiple Fusarium mycotoxins

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Along with Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. , mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species are important contaminants in food and feed industry. This study was designed to investigate the biodegradation potential of a collection of Bacillus spp. In different substrates artificially contaminated with single or multiple Fusarium mycotoxins. B. megaterium BM344-1 and B. pumilus BP344-3 showed the highest degradation (100%) of zearalenone (ZEN) on liquid Luria Bertani (LB) medium. Bacillus cereus BC344-2, Bacillus cereus BC399-2, Bacillus simplex BS350-3 and Paenibacillus favisporus PF341, showed significant biodegrading capacity on T-2 toxin, leading to 72, 70, 71 and 88% decontamination, respectively. Complete degradation (100%) of ZEN was observed at a contamination level of 0.375 μg/ml in LB, while showing a decreasing trend of degradation (87 and 84%) at increasing levels of mycotoxins (0.750 and 1.50 μg/ml LB medium, respectively). Likewise, BM344-1 showed a decreasing degradation trend (81, 78% and 55%) at increasing T-2 contamination levels (0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 μg/ml, respectively). The ability of BM344-1 to degrade fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) was 14 and 12%, respectively. In LB medium concurrently contaminated with multiple mycotoxins (ZEN + T-2+HT-2+FB1+FB2), the degradation ability of BM344-1 was not affected by low-to-medium levels of each mycotoxin, while it was significantly lowered upon addition of each toxin at higher levels. In vivo mycotoxin degradation potential of BM344-1 tested on artificially contaminated maize showed 25–44% reduction of ZEN and 15–19% reduction of T-2, with a non-significant effect in case of combined mycotoxins contamination. B. megaterium BM344-1, having significant biodegrading properties on multiple Fusarium mycotoxins, can be considered for its potential application as a mycotoxin decontamination agent in the food industry. • Bacillus spp. possess strong biodegradation activity against Fusarium mycotoxins. • B. megaterium can completely degrade zearalenone (ZEN) in culture media. • Significant level of T-2 toxin is degraded in vivo and in vitro by B. megaterium . • Mixture of 6 Fusarium toxins results in decline in degradation ability of bacteria. • On maize a significant level of ZEN and T-2 are degraded by B. megaterium .