Biodegradation of Deoxynivalenol by sp. ZHH-013: 3--Deoxynivalenol and 3--Deoxynivalenol as Intermediate Products.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most devastating and notorious contaminants in food and animal feed worldwide. A novel DON-degrading strain, sp. ZHH-013, which exhibited complete mineralization of DON, was isolated from soil samples. The intermediate products of DON generated by this strain were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analyses. It was shown that, on an experimental level, 3--DON was a necessary intermediate product during the conversion from DON to 3--DON. Furthermore, the ZHH-013 strain could also utilize 3--DON. This DON degradation pathway is a safety concern for food and feed. The mechanism of DON and 3--DON elimination will be further studied, so that new enzymes for DON degradation can be identified.