A novel technique for aflatoxin M1 detoxification using chitin or treated shrimp shells: in vitro effect of physical and kinetic parameters on the binding stability

This study aimed to investigate the ability of chitin and heat-treated shrimp shells to bind aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in liquid matrix. Several concentrations of chitin or shrimp shells (grinded and ungrinded) were incubated in AFM1-contaminated phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at different incubation times. The stability of the formed adsorbent-AFM1 complex was also tested in milk at different incubation times and temperatures. The unbound AFM1 was quantified by HPLC. Thereby, the percentages of the initial bounded AFM1 varied between 14.29 and 94.74%. Interestingly, in milk, an increase in incubation time coupled with a decrease in temperature affected positively the amount of bounded AFM1 to chitin and negatively those bounded to ungrinded shells. Results also revealed a partial reversibility in the binding of AFM1 to these adsorbents. These findings provided strong evidence on ability of chitin or shrimp shells by-product to bind AFM1 in milk and in PBS.