Occurrence, Regulation, and Emerging Detoxification Techniques of Aflatoxins in Maize: A Review

Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens that cause serious health and economic problems worldwide. Maize is one of the most important food crops globally, which is easily contaminated by aflatoxins during the whole process from field to table. The development of emerging decontamination methods is vital to protect human health. This article reviewed the occurrence, regulations, and decontamination technologies of aflatoxins in maize. The decontamination mechanisms, applications, advantages, and limitations of emerging technologies (including cold plasma, ozonation, electromagnetic radiations, biological methods and plant extracts) are discussed. Finally, current challenges and future trends in decontamination technologies are proposed. Emerging decontamination technology has great potential when applied to the decontamination of aflatoxin in maize because they are sustainable, effective, with minimal impact on the quality of the maize. The decontamination efficiency depends on food properties (moisture content, constituents, pH), detoxification methods, and operating conditions. It is critical to analyze the decontamination mechanisms of novel technologies and impacts on the food composition. Future research should focus on the synergy of these novel technologies and evaluate decontamination toxicology to ensure their safety while improving efficiency.