Effects of different inactivation and activation treatments applied to lactic acid bacteria on AFM1 detoxification in milk

Abstract

Aflatoxins are significant contaminants that pose a threat to human and animal health due to their toxic effects and also lead to substantial economic losses. One effective strategy to mitigate their impact is to reduce their bioavailability by promoting their binding during digestion or absorption. This study aimed to evaluate the AFM(1) binding efficiency of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, and their combination) under different activation (ultrasound) and inactivation (heat, acid, and ultrasound) treatments in an UHT skim milk matrix. All treatment groups exhibited statistically significant AFM(1) binding compared to the controls (p < 0.05). In the UHT skim milk matrix, the binding rates in the ultrasound treated groups (34 %-43.5 %) were found to be significantly higher compared to both the groups treated with ultrasound in the phosphate buffered saline matrix and those treated with live, heat, or acid inactivated bacteria (16.5 %-28 %) (p < 0.05). Among the groups treated with ultrasound in the milk matrix, the highest binding rate was observed in the group treated with ultrasound inactivated L. rhamnosus (43.5 %), while the lowest was recorded in the ultrasound activated combined group (34 %) (p < 0.05). A significant difference was also observed between the live (28 %) and heat inactivated (16.5 %) L. reuteri groups (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that ultrasound treatment in UHT skim milk is more effective than other methods in enhancing the AFM(1) binding capacity. The results indicate that probiotic bacteria can be utilized for AFM(1) detoxification through various activation and inactivation strategies.