Effect of treatment of Fusarium head blight infected barley grains with hop essential oil nanoemulsion on the quality and safety of malted barley

Fusarium mycotoxin contamination of malting barley has been a persistent food safety issue for malting companies. In this study, the effect of hop essential oil (HEO) nanoemulsion on fungal biomass and mycotoxin production during the malting process was evaluated. Furthermore, the localization of fungal hyphae on the surface and inside the tissue of barley and malts was observed. The application of HEO nanoemulsion reduced fungal biomass and deoxynivalenol (DON) contents at each stage of the malting process as compared to control. During malting process, the fungal hyphae on kernel surfaces was reduced appreciably after steeping. However, the increment of hyphae was observed between the husk and testa layer of barley after germination than raw barley grains. In addition to its antifungal activity, the antioxidant activity of HEO in the treated malts suppressed the formation of aldehydes. This study lays the foundation for the utilization of HEO in the malting industry.