COMBINED EFFECT OF pH AND HEAT TREATMENT ON DEGRADATION OF AFLATOXINS IN DRIED FIGS

Dried figs are sensitive commodities to aflatoxin contamination. Although preventive methods are the logical solution to aflatoxin problems, once the product is contaminated, decontamination procedures are inevitable. In this study, the effectiveness of a procedure consisted of acidification/alkalization, and heat treatment in degradation of aflatoxins was evaluated. The pH of dried fig extracts was adjusted to 3.1, 3.5, 6, 8 or 10 by adding acid or base. Extracts were heated at 50, 75 or 98C for 1 or 2 h, and then the residual aflatoxin B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂ were determined. The highest level of degradation for aflatoxin B₁ (97  ±  1%) and B₂ (87  ±  1%) were observed at pH 10 in samples heated at 98 and 50C, respectively. Some treatments resulted in 100% degradation of aflatoxin G₁ and G₂ so that they could not be detected.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Aflatoxin contamination is a serious problem for a number of processed and non-processed foods, including dried figs. This not only presents severe risks to human and animal health but also causes economic problems for countries such as Turkey, U.S.A., Greece and Spain, which produce and export dried figs. It is clear that detoxifying studies are unavoidable when the amount of crop contaminated by toxins is considered. Therefore, the food industry is in search of applications that are effective in mycotoxin detoxification and adaptable to food processes. This is the first report on degradation of aflatoxins in naturally contaminated dried figs by such a promising method.