Potential detoxification of aflatoxin B2 using Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae integrated nanofibers

Current investigation has shown that human exposure to aflatoxins is not limited to the administration of contaminated cereals, but water is another possible source. This study was aimed to design easily applicable method to eliminate aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) from contaminated drinking water. Electrospinning has been used for preparation of probiotic-coated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers. Both of these hybrid nanofibers were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). SEM showed the proper coating of probiotic strains (Kluyveromyces laths CBS 2359 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763) on both nanofiber types. Different areas (1-5 cm(2)) of the probiotic-nanofiber hybrid were used to enhance the removal of 20 ng/ml of aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) from prepared AFB2-contaminated water over time. Results revealed that a 5 cm(2) area of probiotic-coated PVA nanofibers can eliminate 97.5% of AFB2 as compared to 87.5%, 90.5%, 93.5%, and 95.5%, for 1 cm(2), 2 cm(2), 3 cm(2), and 4 cm(2), respectively, while probiotic-coated CA nanofibers were slightly less effective. Nevertheless, the cytotoxicity of probiotics-CA treated water on cultured human fibroblasts was almost 10 times lower than the cytotoxicity recorded in probiotics-PVA treated water. Therefore, results of the current research suggest that probiotics-polymer nanofiber membranes can be used as an extra stage in the water purification system for the treatment of AFB2-contaminated water.