Ozonização em canjiquinha de milho e seu efeito nos níveis de aflatoxinas, contagem de fungos e qualidade do alimento

Abstract

Corn is one of the most cultivated cereals in Brazil and it is susceptible to contamination by mycotoxins that are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. An adoption of quality management systems during a corn production chain is essential to ensure food safety concerning mycotoxin contamination. However, there is a possibility that these recognized carcinogenic metabolites may already be found in the matrix. Hence the search for alternative solutions capable of reducing contamination to safe levels by the application of emerging technologies has been intense. The methods of decontamination of foods must to obey some premises as: inactivate, destroy or remove the toxins; do not produce others toxic waste; maintain the nutritional value and acceptability of the product. Ozone, which meets almost all of these characteristics, is recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) product for use as a sanitizer in food processing. Since then its use has been investigated in several types of food, including cereals contaminated by mycotoxins. Corn canjiquinha is a cultural food easily accessible by Brazilian consumers at low prices, as well as posing a potential risk of exposure due to contamination with aflatoxins. In this study, aliquots of canjiquinha samples were inoculated with concentrations of 106 CFU/g conidia of Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium spp. previously isolated from this food. Other aliquots were contaminated with aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 at a concentration of 50 μg/kg for each. The application of gaseous ozone was tested in different combinations of exposure time, ozone concentration and canjiquinha mass, being these independent variables investigated. After treatment by ozonation, to evaluate the effects on aflatoxin concentrations, the samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD system) with pre-column derivatization (C18) by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The analytical method used in this study was optimized and parameters such as accuracy, precision, linearity, selectivity, limits of detection and limits of quantification of the analytical method were previously evaluated. Additionally, aflatoxin quantification tests were carried out on commercial samples of corn kernels. The method was adequate and presented recovery values within the range of 80-110% with a coefficient of variation of less than 15%, with detection and quantification limits equal to 0.8 and 3.6 μg/kg, respectively, for each of the aflatoxins. Isolation of fungi was carried out according to the criteria of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. Thus, the efficacy of gaseous ozonation on aflatoxin levels B1, B2, G1 and G2 and on microbial contamination of canjiquinha grains showed reductions of up to 57% in aflatoxin levels. The total fungal count had a reduction of about 3.0 log cycles UFC/g and the total counts of mesophiles were reduced to undetectable levels. These results demonstrated that ozonation is an effective alternative to reduce microbial contamination and the concentration of aflatoxins in corn kernels and, consequently, can improves the safety of this product.