A chemical approach for the reduction of beauvericin in a solution model and in food systems.

ABSTRACT

Beauvericin (BEA) is a bioactive compound produced by the secondary metabolism of several Fusarium strains with a strong antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal activities. This study evaluated the reduction of BEA added at 25 mg/kg in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solutions at pH of 4, 7 and 10, or to different cereal products (kernels and flours) by the bioactive compounds phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) and benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC). The concentration of the mycotoxin was evaluated using liquid chromatography coupled to the diode array detector (LC-DAD). In solution, BEA reduction ranged from 9% to 94% on a time-dependent fashion and lower pH levels resulted in higher BEA reduction. Cereal kernels and flours treated with gaseous PITC and BITC (50, 100 and 500 µL/L) presented BEA reduction from 9% to 97% and was dose-dependent. Among the crops, corn was the vehicle where BEA was mostly affected by the action of the ITCs, followed by wheat and rice, and lastly barley. Overall, PITC caused higher reduction of BEA and should be chosen over BITC as a fumigant to decrease the levels of this mycotoxin in grains and flours.