Assessment of non-thermal plasma for decontamination against Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 in maize

Although non-thermal plasma (NTP) has recently been widely studied for decontaminating fungi and mycotoxins, its application in grains is still rarely reported. This study investigated the influence of NTP on A. flavus growth as well as AFB1 production and degradation in maize. The inactivation efficacy of NTP on A. flavus spores in maize was improved with increasing voltage, decreasing frequency, and reducing sample weight. Moreover, the Weibull model was suitable for describing the inactivation of A. flavus spores in maize. Furthermore, the contamination and AFB1 production by A. flavus in maize were reduced by 79% and 96% at 12-min treatment stored for 8 days. Besides, there was an 80% degradation rate in AFB1 of maize. NTP treatment had no significant effect on the physiological properties except for malondialdehyde, induced the accumulation of total soluble sugars, and decreased the digestibility in maize.