Aflatoxin B1 degradation by culture and lysate of a Pontibacter specie

The presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB(1)) along the food chain poses a significant threat, thus propelling the need for an effective approach to control it. This study was therefore, aimed at investigating AFB(1) degradation of liquid cultures and lysates of an isolated Pontibacter sp. (VGF1). Liquid cultures, lysed bacterial cells in the absence (uninhibited lysates) and presence of protease inhibitors (protease inhibited lysates) were respectively incubated with AFB(1) for 3, 6,12, 24 and 48 h. AFB(1) degradation was monitored during this period on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and results obtained revealed that after 6 h of incubation, the protease inhibited (PI) lysates yielded a 65% AFB(1) degradation, whereas after 12 h, no residual AFB(1) was detected. Conversely, after 48 h of incubation, a significantly (p <= 0.05) lower AFB(1) degradation of 50 and 36% by the liquid culture and uninhibited lysate, respectively, were noted. It was further confirmed that the degradation mechanism was enzymatic. Data from cytotoxicity studies against human lymphocytes further demonstrated that extracts of biotransformed AFB(1) were less toxic when compared to that of AFB(1). Findings from this study have demonstrated an alternative approach for the decontamination and biocontrol of AFB(1) in various agricultural commodities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.