Detoxification of ochratoxin A and zearalenone by Pleurotus ostreatus during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Powdered Pleurotusostreatus (PO) was tested for the detoxification of ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion in the absence and presence of ground feed and cornmeal. Ochratoxin α was detected in the chromatograms after OTA elimination, suggesting the presence of an OTA-hydrolytic enzyme in the PO, whereas ZEN was adsorbed by PO. OTA was totally eliminated at pH 5 and 7, while ZEN was better adsorbed at pH 3. In simulated gastrointestinal conditions conducted without feed matrices, PO eliminated OTA by 85% and ZEN by 23% at the end of the intestinal phase. When digestions were conducted with ground feed and cornmeal, PO eliminated OTA by 13 and 34%, and ZEN by 20 and 2%, respectively. PO demonstrated great potential for OTA detoxification, but the feed matrices adsorbed the mycotoxins, reducing their bioaccessibility considerably in the oral and gastric phases and negatively influencing PO detoxification capacity.