WP6 - Mycotoxin remediation: main outcomes from the Mycokey project

Practical and effective post-harvest procedures to reduce mycotoxin content in the food and feed supply chains are highly required by stakeholders, as well as alternative use options of mycotoxin-contaminated materials. Within the MycoKey project (WP6-Remediation) some strategies have been explored and the most relevant results will be presented, with major emphasis to exploitable results. In particular, i) the efficacy of industrial-scale cleaning equipment based on mechanical and optical technologies in reducing aflatoxins and Fusarium toxins (namely DON, ZEA, FBs) content in naturally contaminated maize; ii) the in vitro ability at different pH values of several materials including minerals, biopolymers, yeast cell walls (YCW) and mixtures of them in simultaneously binding mycotoxins of major concern, namely AFB1, ZEA, OTA and FB1; iii) the efficacy of two selected binders (a YCW-based product and a bio-organoclay) in simultaneously adsorbing AFB1, ZEA, OTA and FB1 by in vivo toxicokinetic studies in rats and pigs; iv) the ability of some microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria and yeasts) to degrade OTA in vitro and the ability of Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Lactobacillus plantarum strains to decontaminate OTA in must during a microvinification process at lab-scale; v) the degradation of DON in wheat grains by a new bacterial strain, namely Sphingomonas S3-4; vi) the efficacy of Pleurotus eryngii in AFB1 degradation on contaminated substrate for mushroom cultivation; vii) the efficacy of two laccase enzymes purified from Pleurotus cultures in in vitro degradation of AFB1, AFM1, ZEA, T-2 and FB1; vii) the efficient production of biogas and bioethanol from mycotoxin contaminated materials in a lab-scale bioreactor.