Effect of Ozone Fumigation on the Removal of Mycotoxins in Corn Germ

In order to explore the effect of ozone fumigation on the removal of mycotoxins in corn germ, corn germ was adjusted to different moisture contents of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% and fumigated with 150 mg/L ozone for different durations of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80 min. Then, changes in the mycotoxin content and quality of corn germ and the quality of corn germ oil were examined. The results showed that the highest relative decrease in aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) of 72.27% was obtained with 25% moisture content and 80 min fumigation. With 10% moisture content and 50 min fumigation, zearalenone (ZEN) was reduced by 68.88%; with 15% moisture content and 60 min fumigation, deoxynivalenol (DON) was reduced by 82.86%. The removal rates of the three mycotoxins were positively correlated with treatment time up to 60 min. Under the optimized conditions of 15% and 60 min for moisture content of corn germ and fumigation time, respectively, the removal rates of AFB₁, ZEN and DON were 66.61%, 69.44% and 90.96%, respectively. The color of crude corn oil became lighter with increasing moisture content and fumigation time, and the acid value and peroxide value slightly increased overall. The results of this study can provide research ideas for solving the problem of mycotoxin residues in corn oil and corn germ from the source.