Removal of ochratoxin A in wine by Cryptococcus albidus and safety assessment of degradation products

Abstract

BACKGROUNDOchratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that contaminates grape‐based products and is extremely harmful to the health of the host. It is effectively removed by yeast during the fermentation of wine, whereas the removal mechanism of OTA remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the removal mechanism of ochratoxin A by yeast and to evaluate the safety of its degradation products.RESULTSCryptococcus albidus (20‐G) with better effect on ochratoxin A (OTA) was screened out in the main fermentation stage of wine. The results showed that 20‐G removed OTA through biosorption and biodegradation. Intracellular enzymes played the main role (18.44%) and yeast cell walls adsorbed a small amount of OTA (8.44%). Furthermore, the identification of proteins in 20‐G revealed that the decrease in OTA content was mainly a result of the action of peroxidase, and validation tests were carried out. By analyzing the degradation products of OTA, OTα and phenylalanine with lower toxicity were obtained. Animal experiments showed that the intervention of yeast 20‐G reduced the damage and adverse effects caused by OTA toxicity to the mice.CONCLUSIONThe present study demonstrates the mechanism of OTA removal by 20‐G and the toxicity of OTA was reduced by peroxidase in 20‐G. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biocontrol of Occurrence Ochratoxin A in Wine: A Review

“…Biological methods have many advantages, such as low cost and minimal side effects, and with the increasing awareness of environmental protection and food safety, they are the best representatives of the methods with lower environmental impact. They are widely used to reduce the concentration of OTA in food, grain, and feed [ 16 , 77 ]. Biological methods can be categorized into three groups based on the mechanisms of action: (1) inhibition of fungi responsible for OTA biosynthesis, (2) adsorption of OTA, and (3) degradation or detoxification of OTA in contaminated matrices [ 78 ].…”

“…As a result, a larger number of active sites are formed, which are responsible for the absorption of various compounds [ 116 ]. Although the results of several researchers have shown that LAB cells can adsorb OTA and it is removed or reduced from the medium in the absence of metabolically active cells, the results of other researchers have shown that metabolic degradation by hydrolysis of the amide bond or by hydrolysis of the lactone ring may be the mechanism responsible for OTA removal [ 77 , 84 , 88 , 89 , 91 , 114 ].…”