High-pressure acidified steaming effectively detoxifies mycotoxins in maize and peanut with moderate effects on nutritional composition and functional properties

This study developed high-pressure acidified steaming (HPAS) for mycotoxins detoxification and evaluated its impact on the nutritional compositions and functional properties of grains/flour. Previous studies have not sufficiently established the effects of processing to remove mycotoxins on the nutritional components and functional properties of the foods; this study fills this gap. The raw materials used for the study were maize and peanut/groundnut samples, divided into raw and processed. The processed samples were treated using HPAS at various citric acid concentrations (CAC) adjusted to pH 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0. The study showed that HPAS at CAC adjusted to pH 4.0 or below can completely detoxify mycotoxins. After HPAS treatment, the values of the crude protein modestly changed (p ≤ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the values of carbohydrates in the HPAS processed samples. After HPAS, the mean values of the crude fats significantly increased, while dietary fibre and the ash and moisture decreased. The mean values of vitamin B1 in raw maize (0.46 ± 0.00 mg/100g) and peanut (0.65 ± 0.04 mg/100g) (p ≤ 0.05) decreased to 0.40 ± 0.02 and 0.60 ± 0.03 mg/100g, 0.33 ± 0.02 and 0.49 ± 0.03 mg/100g, and 0.24 ± 0.02 and 0.40 ± 0.01 mg/100g after HPAS at pH 5.0, 4.5, and 4.0 respectively (p ≤ 0.05); Vitamin E significantly increased after HPAS treatment. The values of the water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling index, emulsion capacity, and foaming capacity of the grains significantly decreased, while their gelatinization temperature and bulk density significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05). Future studies should focus on scaling up the HPAS process to pilot and industrial levels.