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. 2022 Jan 26;11(3):354.
doi: 10.3390/foods11030354.

Curcumin-Based Photosensitization, a Green Treatment in Inactivating Aspergillus flavus Spores in Peanuts

Nalukui Mukubesa  1   2 , Rafael Nguenha  2   3 , Hung T Hong  4 , Maral Seididamyeh  4 , Michael E Netzel  4 , Yasmina Sultanbawa  4
Affiliations

Curcumin-Based Photosensitization, a Green Treatment in Inactivating Aspergillus flavus Spores in Peanuts

Nalukui Mukubesa et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Controlling microbial contamination in foods using effective clean and green technologies is important in producing food with less contaminants. This study investigates the effect of photosensitization treatment using naturally occurring curcumin on inactivating Aspergillus flavus spores on peanuts. Light dosages of 76.4 J/cm2 and 114.5 J/cm2 at 420 nm were employed in combination with curcumin concentrations from 25 to 100 μM. The inactivation efficiency of the treatment towards spores in suspension achieved a maximum 2 log CFU/mL reduction in viable spores with 75 μM of curcumin at a light dosage of 114.5 J/cm2 (p < 0.05). The in vivo study was then designed using the optimum conditions from the in vitro experiment. The photosensitization treatment at three different curcumin concentrations (50, 75, 100 μM) extended the shelf-life of raw peanuts by 7 days when treated with 75 μM of curcumin combined with a 114.5 J/cm2 light dosage and stored at 25 °C. The treatment effectively reduced average levels of aflatoxin B1 (AF-B1) on peanuts stored for 7 days at 25 °C from 9.65 mg/kg of untreated samples to 0.007 and 0.006 mg/kg for 75 and 100 μM curcumin (p < 0.05) respectively. The results show the potential use of curcumin-based photosensitization treatment in inactivating fungal growth and reducing AF-B1 concentration on raw peanuts.

Keywords: Aflatoxin B1; curcumin; fungal growth; microbial photoinactivation; peanuts shelf-life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
A representative Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) chromatogram of AF-B1 was identified by a Shimadzu UHPLC-MS/MS.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of photosensitization on the viability of Aspergillus flavus spores using different curcumin concentrations after light dosage treatment of (a) 76.4 J/cm2, and (b) 114.5 J/cm2 at 420 nm. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments; n = 3 independent experiments with triplicate samples per condition per experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of photosensitization on the viability of Aspergillus flavus on peanuts treated in 50, 75 and 100 μM of curcumin using a light dosage of 114.5 J/cm2. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments; n = 3 independent experiments with triplicate samples per condition per experiment.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Growth of Aspergillus flavus on control and photosensitized peanuts stored at 25 °C for 10 days after the treatment with 114.5 J/cm2 of light combined with curcumin (50, 75, 100 µM).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Growth of Aspergillus flavus on control and photosensitized peanuts stored at 25 °C for 10 days after the treatment with 114.5 J/cm2 of light combined with curcumin (50, 75, 100 µM).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of photosensitization on aflatoxin B1 (AF-B1) generation on Aspergillus flavus-inoculated peanuts during storage at 25 °C after 7 days storage. Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between the treatments; n = 3 independent experiments with triplicate samples per condition per experiment.
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