Ozone as a Fungicidal and Detoxifying Agent to Maize Contaminated with Fumonisins

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of ozone in the control of fungi and the degradation of fumonisins in maize and possible effects on the chemical composition of the product. Two cultivars of hybrid maize (30F53H and AS1581 PRO) were used. Initially, the saturation process of the porous medium with ozone was studied. The incidence of Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus flavus; the suitability of ozone to detoxify grains contaminated by fumonisins and possible qualitative changes in the product were evaluated. Ozone was applied at an inlet ozone concentration of 13.5 mg L-1 and flow rate of 1.0 L min(-1), in five exposure periods (0, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 h). The estimated daily intake of FB by horses from grains subjected to ozonation was obtained. For the hybrid AS1581PRO, the estimated saturation time and concentration were equivalent to 67.34 min and 5.91 mg L-1, respectively. With regard to the hybrid 30F53H, the saturation time and concentration were 41.74 min and 8.72 mg L-1, respectively. Ozone was an effective fungicidal agent. The use of a concentration of 13.5 mg L-1 over a 24 h-treatment led to a reduction of 81.2 and 86.2% in the concentrations of fumonisin B1 and fumonisin B2, respectively. The estimated daily intake of fumonisins was reduced to 17.21 mu g kg(BW)(-1) per day, corresponding to half of the acceptable daily intake for equines. Ozone did not affect the chemical composition of the grain. Ozone is effective in controlling fungi and as a detoxifying agent in maize contaminated by fumonisins.