A Structure Identification and Toxicity Assessment of the Degradation Products of Aflatoxin B1 in Peanut Oil under UV Irradiation

Abstract

Aflatoxins, a group of extremely hazardous compounds because of their genotoxicity and carcinogenicity to human and animals, are commonly found in many tropical and subtropical regions. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is proven to be an effective method to reduce or detoxify aflatoxins. However, the degradation products of aflatoxins under UV irradiation and their safety or toxicity have not been clear in practical production such as edible oil industry. In this study, the degradation products of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in peanut oil were analyzed by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Thermo Quadrupole Exactive Focus mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQEF-MS/MS). The high-resolution mass spectra reflected that two main products were formed after the modification of a double bond in the terminal furan ring and the fracture of the lactone ring, while the small molecules especially nitrogen-containing compound may have participated in the photochemical reaction. According to the above results, the possible photodegradation pathway of AFB1 in peanut oil is proposed. Moreover, the human embryo hepatocytes viability assay indicated that the cell toxicity of degradation products after UV irradiation was much lower than that of AFB1, which could be attributed to the breakage of toxicological sites. These findings can provide new information for metabolic pathways and the hazard assessment of AFB1 using UV detoxification.

Cold Plasma for Effective Fungal and Mycotoxin Control in Foods: Mechanisms, Inactivation Effects, and Applications

“…The degradation of mycotoxins by changing their structure during plasma treatment could be related to the presence of UV photons, ozone or reactive ions and electrons. Significant contributions of reactive species other than ozone and UV photons to degrade mycotoxins or synergistic action of these species along with ozone and UV photons during cold plasma treatments could be possible, as the mycotoxin degradation efficacy of cold plasma technology is greater than that of ozone or UV treatments alone (Diao, Hou, Chen, Shan, & Dong, ; Luo et al., ; Mao et al., ). Further work in this direction is likely to generate better insights regarding the influence of each of the major reactive components in cold plasma and their synergistic activity to degrade various types of mycotoxins.…”

Identification of the Anti-Aflatoxinogenic Activity of Micromeria graeca and Elucidation of Its Molecular Mechanism in Aspergillus flavus

“…Recent studies have pointed out the use of physio-chemical approaches to counteract aflatoxin contamination [8,9] while others were based on the detoxification properties or the protective physiological effect of bacterial metabolites or natural extracts used as feed supplements [10,11,12,13]. Although proven to be efficient, these approaches remain strictly restricted to animal feed.…”

Control of Aflatoxicosis in Poultry Using Probiotics and Polymers

“…Although probiotic bacterial strains are more desirable for AFB1 degradation, the use of whole cultures has less potential for large-scale utilization in the industry, so the use of fractions (cells Figure 2. Chemical molecular structure of AFB1, showing the two key sites responsible of its toxicity (taken from [93]).…”