Efficient and simultaneous removal of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, and zearalenone from vegetable oil by use of a metal-organic framework absorbent.

Vegetable oils are usually cocontaminated with different mycotoxins, including aflatoxins and zearalenone, which cause significant food safety issues. Establishment of multitarget, high-efficiency, and low-cost adsorption methods are considered to be ideal solutions for mycotoxin removal in vegetable oils. In this study, we used metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were used for the simultaneous removal of aflatoxins and zearalenone from vegetable oils. The results showed that MOF-235 simultaneously removed, within 30 min, more than 96.1% of aflatoxins and 83.3% of zearalenone from oils, and oils treated with MOF-235 exhibited di minimis cytotoxicity. Thus, synthesized MOF-235 exhibited sufficient efficacy to remove the targeted residues, as well as safety and reusability, which could be applied as a novel potential adsorbent in the removal of multiple mycotoxins from contaminated vegetable oils.