DEGRADATION OF AFLATOXINS BY FOOD-ADDITIVES

Degradation of four aflatoxins (AFB(1), AFB(1), AFG(1), and AFG(2)) by food, additives was investigated. Pure aflatoxins were degraded by tr eatment with solutions of acidic food additives (hydrochloric acid:HCl and sulfuric acid:H2SO4), alkaline food additives (sodium bicarbonate :NaHCO3, sodium carbonate:Na2CO3, sodium hydroxide:NaOH, sodium sulfit e:Na2SO3, and sodium hypochlorite:NaOCl) and neutral food additives (p otassium metabisulfite:K2S2O5, sodium bisulfite:NaHSO3, sodium hydrosu lfite: Na2S2O4, hydrogen peroxide:H2O2, sodium chlorite:NaClO2, and am monium peroxodisulfate:(NH4)(2)S2O8). The aflatoxins were treated with these neutral food additives under several conditions, and the effect s of treatment temperature, time, and concentration of food additives on aflatoxin degradation were studied. Potassium bromate (KBrO3), pota ssium nitrate (KNO3), and sodium nitrite (NaNO2) had no effect on afla toxins. Of the aflatoxin added to corn, 20% AFB(1) remained after trea tment with the solution of NaHSO3 (0.5%, 48 h), but all of the AFB(1) was completely degraded by NaClO2 (0.25%, pH 4, 48 h) and (NH4)(2)S2O8 (0.25%, 48 h) at 60 degrees C. Of the aflatoxins added to butter bean s, less than 20 and 5% of AFB(1) remained after boiling treatment with a 2 and 0.5% solution of Na2S2O4, respectively. These findings sugges ted that aflatoxins can be degraded or removed by treatment with food additives during food processing.