An overview of chemical, physical and biological methods for zearalenone elimination: Recent advances and future prospective

Mycotoxins have aroused great concern worldwide over the past few years. Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most widespread mycotoxins that primarily contaminates crops, including corn, wheat, and barley. ZEN is structurally similar to estrogen and poses a great threat to poultry growth and human health. The degradation of ZEN is significant in both the scientific and practical fields. Adsorption is still the most widely applied physical methods for ZEN removal. Chemical methods involving oxidation, reduction, and neutralization not only study the content change of ZEN but also the product toxicity. Recently, the biological degradation of ZEN has been intensively studied and found to be superior to physical and chemical solutions. Lactonase, peroxidase, and laccase are efficient enzymes in the biological degradation of ZEN. In a summary, the advantage and disadvantage of three methods were comprehensively discussed and compared in detail.