Reduction of deoxynivalenol (DON) using xylanolytic enzymes during alcoholic fermentation of Fusarium contaminated wheat

Deoxynivalenol (DON) in food and feed is considered as important safety and economic issue of growing concern. The cereal grains contaminated by Fusarium fungi may also be referred to as biological inhibitors. In recent years, the interest in biological detoxification of mycotoxins has increased due to the potential application of different strains of yeast and bacteria. This study was dedicated to evaluate the influence of new biotechnological means: xylanolytic enzymes in combination with traditional amylolytic enzymes on the efficiency of the alcoholic fermentation process and DON detoxification during fermentation of Fusarium contaminated wheat with high concentration of DON (3950 μg/kg). The results show that Fusarium contaminated wheat has a negative influence on alcoholic fermentation: the quantity of alcohol was 13.5% lower then in the case of wholesome grain fermentation and 73% of DON came into DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles), usually used for feed. The application of a new combination of amylolytic and xylanolytic enzymes allowed to increase the concentration of alcohol in the broth by 35.3% and in the same way increased the efficiency of the fermentation process. By using this enzyme combination for cereal saccharafication, the highest degree (51.5%) of partial detoxification of DON was achieved during the fermentation process. However the residual DON concentration in DDGS was still too high despite its reduction as to use it in feed. Therefore, cereal material must be properly investigated before bioethanol production to avoid that higher amounts of mycotoxins come in the DDGS and onwards in feed. .