In vitro degradative effect of purified zearalenone with or without adsorbents after bionic digestion

Abstract The occurrence of zearalenone is considered a major risk factor affecting human and animal health worldwide. Zearalenone-contaminated feed can cause serious disorders and diseases in farm animals. A number of approaches have been developed to counteract zearalenone, but only few can be used. A potential approach to protecting animals against the harmful effects of zearalenone-contaminated feed is the use of substances to reduce zearalenone contamination of feed. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different absorbents in zearalenone-contaminated feed via in vitro bionic digestion. The results revealed that three types of absorbents exhibit improved effects. More than 50% of zearalenone is absorbed during digestion. Specifically, KLX (the main component is yeast cell wall), absorbed 83% of the zearalenone in the contaminated feed after bionic digestion in vitro. Monogastric animal bionic digestion is a rapid and physiologically relevant method to evaluate the efficacy of adsorbent materials in binding mycotoxins. The technique can be used to pre-screen the mycotoxin/adsorbent combinations as an alternative to animal experiments.