A comparative evaluation of ultrasound, microwave, and optimized static water bath treatments for the removal of ginkgotoxin and its 5′-glucosides from Ginkgo biloba seed kernels

Fresh Ginkgo biloba seed kernels are nutritious but contain toxic ginkgotoxin (MPN) and its 5′-glucoside (MPNG), limiting their safe consumption. Existing detoxification methods mostly target powdered/homogenized kernels, which are unsuitable for whole-kernel food products. In this study, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and static water bath methods were compared and evaluated for the removal of MPN and MPNG from fresh whole Ginkgo biloba seed kernels. Among the three methods, the static water bath method exhibited higher detoxification efficiency (i.e., higher removal rates of MPNG, MPN, and TMPN (the sum of MPN and MPNG)) while better maintaining the integrity of whole seed kernels. Under the selected conditions of the static water bath method (material-to-liquid ratio of 1:20, temperature of 60 °C, duration of 27 h), the removal of MPNG, MPN, and TMPN of ‘Da Fozhi’ variety reached 87.51 ± 1.62%,  91.73 ± 4.69% and 87.87 ± 1.14%, respectively. Additionally, under the same selected conditions, the TMPN removal rates in two other varieties (‘Fo Shou’ and ‘Da Maling’) reached 79.01 ± 3.10% and 70.57 ± 5.67%, respectively. The static water bath method is convenient and low-complexity, achieving a relatively satisfactory detoxification effect for whole Ginkgo biloba seed kernels. This method lays the foundation for the detoxification of Ginkgo biloba seed whole kernels and also provides low-toxic Ginkgo biloba seed whole kernel raw materials for the food processing industry.