New solution for utilizing toxin-contaminated corn

Due to climate change, increasingly frequent fungal infections pose a serious challenge to domestic corn growers. The yield can decrease not only in quantity but also in quality due to the rise in toxin load. Where plant protection interventions are not effective enough, aflatoxin B1 can exceed the permitted limit values by far. Contaminated batches thus practically become waste, as they cannot be used for human consumption or as animal feed. However, researchers at MATE sought a solution that would put this to the service of circular agriculture. Aflatoxin B1 is one of the strongest carcinogenic toxins found in nature, which enters cereals through the spread of Aspergillus fungi. Handling high-concentration batches has so far primarily meant destruction, which results in significant economic losses. Researchers at the MATE Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety therefore sought an answer to how the value of toxic corn could be partially recovered. The research is based ...