Changes in Fusarium and Aspergillus Mycotoxin Content and Fatty Acid Composition after the Application of Ozone in Different Maize Hybrids

Abstract

Mycotoxins in maize represent a great threat to human health. For this reason, novel technics such as ozone treatment are used to reduce the content of maize mycotoxins. However, there is little knowledge about the effect of ozone treatment on maize quality parameters. This study investigated the changes in Fusarium and Aspergillus mycotoxins and the changes in fatty acids during the ozone treatment of maize samples. Sixteen maize hybrids were visually tested for the naturally occurring ear rot severity and treated with three different concentrations of ozone (40, 70, and 85 mg/L). Mycotoxin content in maize samples was determined using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, whereas dominant fatty acids were determined using gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Ozone treatments could be successfully applied to reduce the content of mycotoxins in maize below the detection limit. Ozone treatments increased the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and decreased the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), i.e., linoleic acid (36.7% in relation to the lowest applied ozone concentration), which negatively affected the nutritional value of maize.

Nutritional and Chemical Quality of Maize Hybrids from Different FAO Maturity Groups Developed and Grown in Serbia

“…FAMEs were prepared according to AOCS official method No. Ce 2-66 [ 26 ], with some modifications according to Purar et al [ 27 ]. The fatty acid composition of extracted maize oil was determined by injecting the aliquot of 1 µL (split ratio 1:70) into gas chromatography (Konik-Tech HRGC 4000 SA, Barcelona, Spain) equipped with a flame ionization detector and Omegawax 250 column (30 m length, 0.25 mm ID and 0.25 µm film thickness) using helium as the carrier gas with a constant flow rate of 1 mL min −1 .…”

“…The temperatures of the detector and injector were maintained at 250 °C. The FAMEs were separated using a temperature gradient program [ 27 ]. FAMEs were identified based on pure FAME standard mixture (Supelco, Bellefonte, PA, USA, FAME, RM-1) by comparing GC retention times and the Kovats retention index with reference analytical standards.…”

“…The fatty acid composition of extracted maize oil was determined by injecting the aliquot of 1 µL (split ratio 1:70) into gas chromatography (Konik-Tech HRGC 4000 SA, Barcelona, Spain) equipped with a flame ionization detector and Omegawax 250 column (30 m length, 0.25 mm ID and 0.25 µm film thickness) using helium as the carrier gas with a constant flow rate of 1 mL min −1 . The temperatures of the detector and injector were maintained at 250 • C. The FAMEs were separated using a temperature gradient program [27]. FAMEs were identified based on pure FAME standard mixture (Supelco, Bellefonte, PA, USA, FAME, RM-1) by comparing GC retention times and the Kovats retention index with reference analytical standards.…”

Zearalenone contamination in maize, its associated producing fungi, control strategies, and legislation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

“…In malt and beer production, Zuluaga-Calderón et al (2023) use ozone in the steeping stage to reduce Fusarium graminearum incidence from 100% to 47% without affecting the germinative properties. Although the technology has a superior degradation rate for ZEA than electron beam irradiation (Yang et al, 2020), its application increases monounsaturated fatty acids and decreases polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic, and α-linolenic fatty acids (Purar et al, 2022;Qi et al, 2016). degradation is more efficient in liquid food products (Feizollahi & Roopesh, 2021).…”

Effect of Gliding Arc Plasma Jet on the Mycobiota and Deoxynivalenol Levels in Naturally Contaminated Barley Grains

“…To eliminate contamination by fungi and/or mycotoxins from food commodities and improve product quality, several decontamination technologies have been developed, such as gamma radiation [ 41 ], ozonation [ 42 ], enzymatic treatments [ 43 ], and the use of mycotoxin adsorbents in animal feed [ 44 ]. In this context, recently, PJ has shown promising results to control the occurrence of fungi and mycotoxins in food [ 45 ]; the reactive species present in NTAPP may inactivate microorganisms, leading to increased product safety and prolonged shelf life [ 46 , 47 , 48 ].…”