Author(s): Pereira, Eliana ; Barros, Lillian ; Antonio, Amilcar L. ; Cabo Verde, Sandra ; Santos-Buelga, Celestino ; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. ; Rodrigues, Paula
Date: 2017
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/15305
Origin: Biblioteca Digital da UPB
Subject(s): Aflatoxin b1; Chromatography; Gamma radiation; Herbs; Ochratoxin A; Phenolic compounds
This study aimed to determine the effect of gamma radiation on the preservation of phenolic compounds and on decontamination of dry herbs in terms of ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), using Aloysia citrodora Paláu as a case study. For this purpose, artificially contaminated dry leaves were submitted to gamma radiation at different doses (1, 5, and 10 kGy; at dose rate of 1.7 kGy/h). Phenolic compounds were analysed by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and mycotoxin levels were determined by HPLC-fluorescence. Eleven phenolic compounds were identified in the samples and despite the apparent degradation of some compounds (namely verbasoside), 1 and 10 kGy doses point to a preservation of the majority of the compounds. The mean mycotoxin reduction varied between 5.3% and 9.6% for OTA and from 4.9% to 5.2% for AFB1. It was not observed a significant effect of the irradiation treatments on mycotoxin levels, and a slight degradation of the phenolic compounds in the irradiated samples was observed.
