Obtaining an aflatoxin-free and high-alcohol-content product using contaminated dried figs

Abstract

Dried fig is one of the most susceptible products to aflatoxin contamination. Since contaminated figs are not suitable for human consumption and cannot be used for any other purposes, they are burned in a chemical incinerator. In this study, we investigated the potential of using aflatoxin-contaminated dried figs as a raw material for ethanol production. For this purpose, contaminated dried figs (and also uncontaminated controls) were subjected to fermentation and subsequent distillation, and the alcohol and aflatoxin levels were determined during the processes. In addition, volatile by-products in the final product were determined using gas chromatography. Contaminated and uncontaminated figs had similar fermentation and distillation patterns. Although fermentation caused significant decreases in aflatoxin levels, there were still toxin residues in the fermented samples at the end of the process. On the other hand, aflatoxins were completely removed in the first step of the distillation. There were minor differences between the volatile compound compositions of the distillates produced from contaminated and uncontaminated figs. It was shown that obtaining aflatoxin-free and high-alcohol-content product using contaminated dried figs is possible according to the lab-scale conducted studies. Aflatoxin-contaminated dried figs can be used as a sustainable raw material for producing ethyl alcohol that can be used as an ingredient of surface disinfectants and/or fuel additive for vehicles.

Keywords: Distillation; Ethanol; Fermentation; Mycotoxin; Waste reduction.