Ozone technology to reduce zearalenone contamination in whole maize flour: degradation kinetics and impact on quality.

BACKGROUND: Maize is one of the most important cereals. It is used for different purposes and in different industries worldwide. This cereal is prone to contamination with mycotoxins, such as zearalenone (ZEN), which is produced mainly by Fusarium graminearum, F. culmorum and F. equiseti. Toxin production under highly moist conditions (aw > 0.95) is exacerbated if there are alternations between low temperatures (12-14 °C) and high temperatures (25-28 °C). Even if good production practices are adopted, mycotoxins can be found in several stages of the production chain. For this reason, an alternative to reducing this contamination is ozonation. This study evaluated the reduction of ZEN in naturally contaminated whole maize flour (WMF) treated with 51.5 mg L-1 of ozone for up to 60 min. Pasting properties, peroxide value, and fatty acid composition were also evaluated. RESULTS: Zearalenone degradation in ozonated WMF was described by a fractional first-order kinetic, with a maximum reduction of 62.3% and kinetic parameter of 0.201 min-1 in the conditions that were evaluated. The ozonation process in WMF showed a decrease in the apparent viscosity, a decrease in the proportion of linoleic, oleic, and α-linolenic fatty acids, an increase in the proportion of palmitic acid, and an increase in the peroxide value. CONCLUSION: Ozonation was effective in reducing ZEN contamination in WMF. However, it also modified the pasting properties, fatty acid profile, and peroxide value, affecting functional and technological aspects of WMF. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ozone treatment to reduce deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) contamination in wheat bran and its impact on nutritional quality.

Wheat bran is an important source for human and animal feed. Its nutritional aspects include a high content of fibre and minerals, as well as phenolic compounds that help prevent chronic diseases. However, wheat can be susceptible to contamination by fungus, which can produce mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), causing adverse health effects. Therefore, methods should be developed to reduce possible contamination. Ozone can be used for this purpose as it is considered safe and environmental friendly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction of DON and ZEN concentrations in wheat bran using the ozonation process as well as to evaluate the effect of ozonation on the nutritional quality of bran. Considering this, wheat bran naturally contaminated with both DON and ZEN was processed using ozone at different conditions. The nutritional quality of the bran was evaluated after processing considering the following aspects: the total phenolic content and the bran antioxidant capacity (by using both DPPH and ABTS radicals). The results showed that the degradation of ZEN was higher and faster than the degradation of DON, which could be explained by their molecular structures. The total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the bran were not affected by the ozonation process, which is preferable from a nutritional point of view. Therefore, ozonation was demonstrated to be a possible method for reducing mycotoxins in wheat bran, although more studies are needed in order to better understand and optimise processing and product quality.