Preliminary Study on Effects of Maize Fungal Inactivation and Degradation of Mycotoxins by Ultraviolet Combined with Cold Plasma

A preliminary study was conducted on the inactivation effects and mechanisms of spore inactivation of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus chevalieri spores, as well as the degradation of aflatoxins (AFs) and deoxynivalenol (DON) by ultraviolet combined with cold plasma. The results showed that ultraviolet combined with cold plasma could completely inactivate the two kinds of fungal spores and cause damage to cell membrane and nucleus when treated for 80 s. More than 70% of the two fungi carried by maize kernels were inactivated at 600 s. In terms of degradation of mycotoxins, the degradation rate of standard DON and aflatoxin B group exceeded 60% and 50% respectively at 600 s, and aflatoxin G group was less than 50%. However, toxins carried by maize kernels took longer time to degrade. The degradation rate of DON after 20 minutes of treatment was 36.41%, but the degradation rate of AFS did not exceed 30%. The use of ultraviolet combined with cold plasma treatment shows potential for the inactivation of fungal spores and the degradation of fungal toxins.