Efficiency and mechanism of a magnetic immobilized PPL system for simultaneous removal of the hazardous mycotoxins patulin and ochratoxin A from fruit juice

This study developed two novel magnetic nanocomposites with immobilized porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) for simultaneously removing patulin (PAT) and ochratoxin A (OTA)—two hazardous environmental contaminants—from fruit juices. All detoxification experiments were conducted in real fruit juice matrices (apple juice for PAT, grape juice for OTA) under ambient temperature (25 °C) with realistic contamination ranges. The results demonstrated MNP@UiO-66-(SH)₂@PPL achieved removal rates of 77.03% for PAT in apple juice and 45.03% for OTA in grape juice, while MNP@UiO-66-NH₂@PPL showed removal rates of 85.74% for OTA and 48.44% for PAT. LC-MS analysis indicated that PAT undergoes ring-opening to ascladiol, while OTA is hydrolyzed to phenylalanine and OTα. Molecular docking revealed that PPL spontaneously binds to both toxins via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. CCK-8 assays confirmed low cytotoxicity of the materials and their degradation products, with no adverse impact on juice quality. The composites also exhibited magnetic recovery rates > 93%, enabling facile separation and recyclability. This work provides a safe, efficient, and reusable strategy for multi-mycotoxin decontamination with demonstrated environmental relevance.