Evaluating the Impact of Lactobacillus acidophilus on Fusarium Mycotoxins in Raw Vegan Pumpkin–Sunflower Seed Flour Blends

A blend with pumpkin and sunflower seed flours was prepared and dried at 41.5 °C for 5 h to create a minimally heat-treated blend for a raw food diet. The blend was inoculated with <i>Lactobacillus acidophilus</i> and <i>Fusarium langsethiae</i> to assess the effect of <i>L. acidophilus</i> on <i>Fusarium</i> growth and mycotoxin production. Drying did not affect the content of naturally occurring microorganisms but significantly reduced water activity (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and increased total phenolic content in samples with external microorganisms. <i>Lactobacilli</i> content remained unchanged after drying (4.8 log CFU/g), while <i>F. langsethiae</i> increased by 1.5 log CFU/g. Principal component analysis showed PC1 explained 95.1% of total variance, driven by <i>Fusarium</i> mycotoxin production. A significant difference in total mycotoxin was found between samples with <i>F. langsethiae</i> alone and those with both <i>F. langsethiae</i> and <i>L. acidophilus</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Lactic acid bacteria could reduce fusarium mycotoxin risk in raw food diet mixtures.