Curcumin-Based Photosensitization, a Green Treatment in Inactivating <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> Spores in Peanuts
Nalukui Mukubesa,
Rafael Nguenha,
Hung T. Hong,
Maral Seididamyeh,
Michael E. Netzel,
Yasmina Sultanbawa
Affiliations
Nalukui Mukubesa
The Ministry of Agriculture, Mulungushi House, Independence Avenue, Lusaka P.O. Box 50197, Zambia
Rafael Nguenha
School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4108, Australia
Hung T. Hong
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia
Maral Seididamyeh
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia
Michael E. Netzel
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia
Yasmina Sultanbawa
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia
Controlling microbial contamination in foods using effective clean and green technologies is important in producing food with less contaminants. This study investigates the effect of photosensitization treatment using naturally occurring curcumin on inactivating Aspergillus flavus spores on peanuts. Light dosages of 76.4 J/cm2 and 114.5 J/cm2 at 420 nm were employed in combination with curcumin concentrations from 25 to 100 μM. The inactivation efficiency of the treatment towards spores in suspension achieved a maximum 2 log CFU/mL reduction in viable spores with 75 μM of curcumin at a light dosage of 114.5 J/cm2 (p 2 light dosage and stored at 25 °C. The treatment effectively reduced average levels of aflatoxin B1 (AF-B1) on peanuts stored for 7 days at 25 °C from 9.65 mg/kg of untreated samples to 0.007 and 0.006 mg/kg for 75 and 100 μM curcumin (p < 0.05) respectively. The results show the potential use of curcumin-based photosensitization treatment in inactivating fungal growth and reducing AF-B1 concentration on raw peanuts.
