Evaluation of Ultraviolet-Light (UV-A) Emitting Diodes Technology on the Reduction of Spiked Aflatoxin B1 and Aflatoxin M1 in Whole Milk

The effectiveness of a UV-A light emitting diode system (LED) to reduce the concentrations of aflatoxin B-1 and aflatoxin M-1 (AFB(1), AFM(1)) in whole milk (WM) was investigated. Irradiation experiments were conducted using an LED system operating at 365 nm. Known concentrations of aflatoxins were spiked in WM and irradiated at quantified UV doses, which was calculated based on the average volumetric intensity. LC-MS product ion scans were used to identify and semi-quantify photodegraded products of AFB(1) and AFM(1). It was observed that UV irradiation significantly reduced aflatoxins in WM (p < 0.05). In comparison to control, the maximum UV-A exposure reduced AFB(1) and AFM(1) concentrations to 78.2 +/- 2.36% (at 836 mJ/cm(2)) and 65.7 +/- 1.65% (at 857 mJ/cm(2)), respectively. In cytotoxicity studies, our results demonstrated that the increase in UV-A dosage decreased the aflatoxins-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells, and no significant aflatoxin-induced cytotoxicity was observed at the highest given UV-A irradiation of 777 (AFB(1)), 838 (AFM(1)), and 746 (total AFs) mJ/cm(2). Investigating the sensory quality of product and the cytotoxicity, and mutagenicity of UV exposed aflatoxins in WM using animal models is warranted in the future.