Decontamination of Aflatoxins in Edible Oils: A Comprehensive Review

ABSTRACT

The majority of crops can be contaminated by aflatoxins mainly due to the insufficiency of cultivation or storage techniques. Therefore, the possible presence of aflatoxins in edible oil is inevitable which can cause some health problems for consumers. Due to the possible degradation of aflatoxins to the other toxicant compound and its interaction with the food components, it is necessary to study decontamination methods from the safety point of view. In this regard, this review is mainly focused on all proposed methods to degrade or reduce aflatoxins in edible oils that they categorized in three major groups (chemical, physical, and biological (while the UV irradiation, gamma irradiation, pulsed light, and absorbents are the main physical techniques for aflatoxins decontamination)). Moreover, using chemical agents such as alkaline solutions (e.g., sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide), ozone, and electrolyzed water are among suggested chemical methods. While no studies have been conducted regarding the application of biological methods for the decontamination of aflatoxins in edible oils. However, the associated mechanisms with decontamination and their possible effects on the nutritional and sensorial attributes of the final detoxified oil should be carefully considered.

KEYWORDS:

• Aflatoxins
• edible oil
• decontamination
• mycotoxins

Acknowledgments

This study is related to the project NO 1398/10140 from the Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. We also appreciate the “Student Research Committee” and “Research & Technology Chancellor” at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences for their financial support of this study.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, F. Javanmardi; writing—original draft preparation, Z. Sheidaei, D. Khodaei and M. Bashiri; writing—review and editing, Y. Vasseghian, A. Mousavi Khaneghah and K. Nayebzadeh. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences [1398/10140].