The fate of Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol and zearalenone) through wort fermenting by Saccharomyces yeasts (S. cerevisiae and S. pastorianus)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 15 commercial yeasts in the mitigation of the Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) during the brewing process. Saccharomyces strains (10 strains of S. cerevisiae and 5 of S. pastorianus) were used to ferment DON and ZEN contaminated wort. Wort samples were taken every 24 h during fermentation, while mycotoxin analysis in yeast was performed at the end of fermentation (96 h); additionally, pH and ethanol content were measured daily. For mycotoxin analysis, after immunoaffinity purification of sample extracts, analysis was performed using an Ultra-High-Pressure Liquid Clunmatograph coupled with a diode array or fluorescence detector (UHPLC-DAD/FLD). Mycotoxin presence had no significant effect on the ethanol production during brewing. At the end of fermentation, 10-17% of DON and 30-70% of ZEN had been removed, 6% of the initial concentration of DON and 31% of the ZEN being adsorbed by the yeast. Beermakers must pay careful attention to the raw material since a high percentage of DON could be present at the end of the beer fermentation process. Future studies should focus on the quantification of masked mycotoxins that are relevant to food security.