Research progress in microbial degradation of zearalenone

Abstract:

Zearalenone (ZEN), one of the common mycotoxins in moldy grain crops such as maize and wheat, brings health hazards to domesticated animals and humans, demonstrating reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Physical, chemical, and biological methods have been used to address zearalenone contamination. The physical and chemical methods applied in feed production have a risk of secondary contamination. Biodegradation as a detoxification method using microbial adsorption and degradation of zearalenone is the characterized by high safety, environmental friendliness, high efficiency, specificity, and high detoxification rate and does not affect the nutritional value of grains. Therefore, biodegradation becomes a hot spot for the research on zearalenone degradation. This article mainly introduces the microbial species capable of degrading zearalenone from the detoxification capacity, methods, and products and summarizes the advantages and prospects of microbial detoxification, aiming to provide new perspectives for the theoretical research and practical application of microbial methods for degrading zearalenone.