Thermostable extracellular enzyme-mediated biodegradation of Aflatoxin B1 and Zearalenone in maize flour: A promising strategy

Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) and Zearalenone (ZEN) are highly toxic mycotoxins commonly present in cereal-based foods, making their degradation a crucial research area for ensuring food safety. This study demonstrated that extracellular components mediated the biodegradation of AFB 1 and ZEN from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HNGD-T8, isolated from fermented tea. The cell-free supernatants achieved 99.57 % and 99.9 % degradation at 80 °C for AFB 1 and ZEN, respectively. Notably, Mn 2+ enhanced the degradation of both mycotoxins. Simultaneous degradation of AFB 1 and ZEN was achieved at 78.02 % and 93.74 %, respectively. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis revealed that both mycotoxins were broken down into different metabolites, with AFB 1 converting into (C 17 H 12 O 7 , C 13 H 10 O 4 ) and ZEN transforming into (C 18 H 22 O 7 , C 17 H 24 O 4 ). Degradation of AFB 1 and ZEN led to the disruption of their active sites and the formation of derivative compounds. Subsequent toxicity assessment using zebrafish larvae demonstrated that these degradation products exhibited reduced toxicity. In maize flour, AFB 1 and ZEN degraded 74.20 % and 59.57 %, respectively, while simultaneous degradation achieved 66.23 % and 78.07 %. Given its potent degradation ability, Mn 2+ -enhanced activity, thermostability, and effectiveness in maize flour, these findings underscore the promising potential of HNGD-T8 for mitigating mycotoxin contamination in food matrices and contributing to sustainable food safety solutions.