Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jul;19(4):1777-1808.
doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12594. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Application of ozone for degradation of mycotoxins in food: A review

Leili Afsah-Hejri  1 , Parvaneh Hajeb  2 , Reza J Ehsani  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Application of ozone for degradation of mycotoxins in food: A review

Leili Afsah-Hejri et al. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2020 Jul.
Free article

Abstract

Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) fumonisins (FMN), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), and patulin are stable at regular food process practices. Ozone (O3 ) is a strong oxidizer and generally considered as a safe antimicrobial agent in food industries. Ozone disrupts fungal cells through oxidizing sulfhydryl and amino acid groups of enzymes or attacks the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the cell wall. Fusarium is the most sensitive mycotoxigenic fungi to ozonation followed by Aspergillus and Penicillium. Studies have shown complete inactivation of Fusarium and Aspergillus by O3 gas. Spore germination and toxin production have also been reduced after ozone fumigation. Both naturally and artificially, mycotoxin-contaminated samples have shown significant mycotoxin reduction after ozonation. Although the mechanism of detoxification is not very clear for some mycotoxins, it is believed that ozone reacts with the functional groups in the mycotoxin molecules, changes their molecular structures, and forms products with lower molecular weight, less double bonds, and less toxicity. Although some minor physicochemical changes were observed in some ozone-treated foods, these changes may or may not affect the use of the ozonated product depending on the further application of it. The effectiveness of the ozonation process depends on the exposure time, ozone concentration, temperature, moisture content of the product, and relative humidity. Due to its strong oxidizing property and corrosiveness, there are strict limits for O3 gas exposure. O3 gas has limited penetration and decomposes quickly. However, ozone treatment can be used as a safe and green technology for food preservation and control of contaminants.

Keywords: Aspergillus; Fusarium; Penicillium; aflatoxins; mycotoxins; ozone gas.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Aafia, S., Rouf, A., Kanojia, V., & Ayaz, Q. (2018). Ozone treatment in prolongation of shelf life of temperate and tropical fruits. International Journal of Pure & Applied Biosciences, 6(2), 298-303.
    1. Abbès, S., Salah-Abbès, J. B., Sharafi, H., Jebali, R., Noghabi, K. A., & Oueslati, R. (2013). Ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GAF01 to remove AFM1 in vitro and to counteract AFM1 immunotoxicity in vivo. Journal of Immunotoxicology, 10(3), 279-286. https://doi.org/10.3109/1547691X.2012.718810
    1. Abd-Elsalam, K. A., El-Naggar, M. A., Ghannouchi, A., & Bouqellah, N. A. (2020). Nanomaterials and ozonation: Safe strategies for mycotoxin management. In M. Rai and K. A. Abd-Elsalam (Eds.), Nanomycotoxicology (pp. 285-308). Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
    1. Abdel-Wahhab, M. A., Sehab, A. F., Hassanien, F. R., El-Nemr, S. E., Amra, H. A., & Abdel-Alim, H. A. (2011). Efficacy of ozone to reduce fungal spoilage and aflatoxin contamination in peanuts. Journal of Nuts, 2(04), 1-14.
    1. Afsah-Hejri, L. (2013). Saprophytic yeasts: Effective biocontrol agents against Aspergillus flavus. International Food Research Journal, 20, 3403-3409.