The effect of ozone gas on destruction and detoxification of aflatoxin
Abstract
Aflatoxins are more significant than other fungal toxins due to carcinogenic effects and acute poisoning. In nature, four types of aflatoxin including B1, B2, G1 and G2 and also two types of metabolic products named M1 and M2 are found. These components can pollute livestock and human feeds like corn, sorghum, wheat, soya, cottonseed, peanut and nuts. To control aflatoxin, physical separation, deactivation by heat and microbes, radiography, solvent extraction and fermentation are used. Ozone is one of the eliminating compounds of aflatoxin that has capability tocarry out the process in three status of dry, watery and moist. Ozone can eliminate fungal toxins through reacting with 8 and 9 dual bond of furan ring in aflatoxin which means initial ozonation and subsequently rearrangement to derivations and then producing aldehydes, ketones and organic acids.