The Effectiveness of Durian Peel as a Multi-Mycotoxin Adsorbent.

Durian peel (DP) is an agricultural waste that is widely used in dyes and for organic and inorganic pollutant adsorption. In this study, durian peel was acid-treated to enhance its mycotoxin adsorption efficacy. The acid-treated durian peel (ATDP) was assessed for simultaneous adsorption of aflatoxin B (AFB), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), and fumonisin B (FB). The structure of the ATDP was also characterized by SEM-EDS, FT-IR, a zetasizer, and a surface-area analyzer. The results indicated that ATDP exhibited the highest mycotoxin adsorption towards AFB (98.4%), ZEA (98.4%), and OTA (97.3%), followed by FB (86.1%) and DON (2.0%). The pH significantly affected OTA and FB adsorption, whereas AFB and ZEA adsorption was not affected. Toxin adsorption by ATDP was dose-dependent and increased exponentially as the ATDP dosage increased. The maximum adsorption capacity (Q), determined at pH 3 and pH 7, was 40.7 and 41.6 mmol kg for AFB, 15.4 and 17.3 mmol kg for ZEA, 46.6 and 0.6 mmol kg for OTA, and 28.9 and 0.1 mmol kg for FB, respectively. Interestingly, ATDP reduced the bioaccessibility of these mycotoxins after gastrointestinal digestion using an in vitro validated, static model. The ATDP showed a more porous structure, with a larger surface area and a surface charge modification. These structural changes following acid treatment may explain the higher efficacy of ATDP in adsorbing mycotoxins. Hence, ATDP can be considered as a promising waste material for mycotoxin biosorption.