Adsorptive potential of two natural enterosorbents for removing aflatoxin B1 under simulated gastric and small intestinal conditions

A viable strategy for addressing the aflatoxin issue using two enterosorbents prepared from marigold petals and guava leaves was validated. The enterosorbents were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to obtain information about the surface functional groups, microstructure, multi-elemental composition, degree of crystallinity, and phase analysis. The potential of the enterosorbents in decreasing aflatoxin uptake and bioavailability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions (including the replication of chemical and enzymatic factors) was estimated using the isotherm models of Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich. Under the simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, marigold removed almost all the mycotoxin at doses of 0.25 and 0.125% (w/w); however, guava leaves efficiently adsorbed the toxin when using doses up to 0.5 and 0.25% (w/w), respectively. Equilibrium adsorption data followed preferentially the Freundlich model, the values of the Freundlich constant (K_F) for marigold were 37.3 and 7.1 times higher than those of guava leaves, respectively. Additionally, the n value was > 1, indicative that adsorption was mainly dominated by physical mechanisms. Overall, this research provides insights into the practical application of natural enterosorbents offering a promising approach for AFB₁ removal.