Cold atmospheric pressure plasma‐assisted removal of aflatoxin B 1 from contaminated corn kernels

Mycotoxins, the toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, are found in up to 80% of global food and feed crops. Here, we report on the complete removal of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) from the artificially contaminated corn kernels with an indirect cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) treatment generated with a surface barrier discharge system working in ambient air. Surface analysis of the corn kernels revealed the presence of minor changes in the treated samples, indicating that indirect CAP treatments induced slight oxidation of the corn kernel surface. This study not only proposes CAP as an effective food processing method for the decontamination of mycotoxins but also presents the first step towards acceptance of CAP technology as a safe food processing method.