Reduction of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin on almond kernels using gaseous chlorine dioxide fumigation. (15th February 2023) - Rane, Bhargavi
Highlights: Gaseous ClO2 reduced 99.6 % of A. flavus and 84.4 % of aflatoxin B1 in almonds. The AFB1 values do not increase on almonds after month-long storage at 4 °C. ClO2 did not affect moisture, peroxide, and free fatty acid values in almonds. Abstract: The almond industry suffers product losses caused by mold growth and toxin contamination. Gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2 ) has the potential for postharvest reduction of mycotoxic Aspergillus flavus . In this study, almonds inoculated with A. flavus were fumigated with gaseous ClO2 for 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, and 24 h using a dry precursor sachet batch method. The headspace concentration ranged from 0.5 to 2.4 mg/L, depending on initial dosing and time. At its highest concentration, gaseous ClO2 demonstrated an 84.4 % degradation efficiency of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) with a reduction of 2.4 log CFU/g of A. flavus on almond kernels. Additionally, suppression of AFB1 continued after one-month storage at 4 °C. No significant oxidative effect and color difference ( ΔE ) was observed on the treated kernels. The almond industry can apply gaseous ClO2 technology to reduce mold contamination and product losses.