Investigating the Potential of Chitosan-Nanocomposites as a Bio-Based Adsorbent for Sustainable Aflatoxin Eradication from Fish Feed

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1(AFB1), a hazardous mycotoxin frequently contaminates food and animal feed, represents a critical threat to global health. Chitosan (CS), a natural biopolymer derived from chitin, has emerged as a promising candidate for mycotoxin adsorption due to its unique properties. The study evaluated the aflatoxin adsorption potential of eight commercial products (P1-P8) under different conditions. P1 is Chitosan (CS), P2 is Nano Chitosan (NCS), P3 is Chitosan (CS) with mannan oligosaccharide (MOS), P4 is Chitosan (CS) with Bentonite (Bn), P5 is CS + MOS + Bn, P6 is NCS with MOS, P7 is NCS and Bn and P8 is NCS+ MOS+ Bn. The results showed substantial adsorption capacity across all evaluated products, with P8, a nano-chitosan formulation with both MOS and Bn, achieving the greatest efficiency (74.77%). P7 and P6 also demonstrated exceptional efficacy. P1 exhibited comparable adsorption to nano-chitosan (P2) at 67.70% and 68.82%, respectively. P5 and P4 displayed moderate adsorption capacities (68.10% and 61.30%), while P3 had a lower efficiency (59.30%). The study also examined the influence of environmental factors (pH and temperature) on the adsorption capacity of these products. P1 showed moderate adsorption capacity in fish feed matrices, ranging from 29.52% to 30.58%, depending on the P1/ fish feed ratio. P1's adsorption is sensitive to changes in pH and temperature, indicating the need for optimized treatment conditions. In conclusion, this research highlights the potential of chitosan and its derivatives as effective adsorbents for alleviating aflatoxin contamination in food and feed.