Abstract

The mechanisms of aflatoxin $B_1(AFB_1)$ degradation by ammonia and alkaline pH during the storage of Korean soy sauces were studied. In the 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.5% of ammonia solutions, almost all of $AFB_1$(96-100%) was degraded after 2 to 24 hrs of incubation at $30^{\circ}C$. Increased levels of ammonia in both home made soy sauce(HMSS) and commercial soy sauce(CSS) caused slow increases in pH. The pH change was higher in CSS than in HMSS. The degradations of $AFB_1$ were not observed in the samples of HMSS, CSS, distilled water and 20 % of NaCl solution during the storage, however, when the pHs of the samples were adjusted to 10, the toxin was completely removed in all samples. $AFB_1$ was stable at pH 5 and 7 in bath buffer solutions and buffer solutions+0.2% ammonia, however, $AFB_1$ was degraded completely at pHs more than 9. $AFB_1$ was not degraded even at high concentrations of ammonia(0.2-1.0%) when the pH was maintained at 7 in the buffer solution. It indicated that ammonia content in the system was not important but the higher pH was the reason to degrade $AFB_1$. When the pHs of HMSS, CSS, buffersolution and buffer solution + 0.2% ammonia were adjusted to 5 and then reacted with $AFB_1$ for 5 days, the toxin was stable in all samples. However, when the pHs of the samples were adjusted to 7, about 60-70 % of $AFB_1$ was degraded in HMSS and CSS after 5 days of incubation during which the pH was not changed, but $AFB_1$ in the buffer solution and buffer solution + 0.2% ammonia was not degraded at all in the same conditions.

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