Detoxification of aflatoxin in corn flour by ozone

BACKGROUND: Corn, which is one of most important agricultural products worldwide, is prone to pollution by aflatoxins (AFs) in many areas, thus seriously jeopardizing human health and threatening economic growth. This study evaluated the effects of ozone on the detoxification of AFs in corn flour (CF) and the moisture content (MC) thereof. RESULTS: The detoxifying effects of ozone on CF became more obvious as the ozone concentration and exposure time increased. After CF was treated with 75 mg L-1 ozone for 60 min, the contents of AFB(1), AFG(1) and AFB(2) decreased from 53.60, 12.08 and 2.42 mu g kg(-1) to 11.38, 3.37 and 0.71 mu g kg(-1), respectively, which are lower than the maximum limits of AFB(1), AFG(1), AFB(2) and total AFs (20 mu g kg(-1)) for CF regulated by the Chinese government. Ozonation significantly affected the MC of CF, and ozone at a higher concentration decreased the MC more drastically. After CF was exposed to 15, 30, 45 and 75 mg L-1 ozone for 60 min, the MC of CF decreased from 17.4% to below 15%, fulfilling the long-period storage requirements for CF. CONCLUSION: Ozone is potentially applicable in effectively degrading the AFs in CF and in greatly decreasing the MC of CF. (C) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry