Mutagenicity assessment of aflatoxin B1 exposed to essential oils

Alternative decontamination strategies focusing on the reduction and detoxification of mycotoxins in food and feed products have gained increasing attention in recent years. In the present study, we explored the potential of thyme, clove and rosemary essential oils (EOs) to inactivate aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in vitro, the most potent human carcinogen produced by fungi. Furthermore, we investigated changes in the mutagenic activity of the EO on the inactivated AFB1 products by the Ames test. The AFB1 inactivation assay was performed under different incubation times (2, 24 and 72 h) and EO concentrations (10 and 50 μL mL−1) and was quantitatively monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results indicated that the in vitro exposure of AFB1 to the thyme, clove and rosemary EOs at 50 μL mL−1 for 72 h effectively inactivated AFB1 products at rates of 92, 90.8, and 82.8%, respectively. Moreover, a complete loss of mutagenicity was observed in the EO-inactivated AFB1 products when compared with the untreated samples. Therefore, our findings suggest the use of EOs as a promising approach for AFB1 reduction in the agri-food industry.