One-step preparation of nano-Fe3O4 modified inactivated yeast for the adsorption of patulin

A magnetic nanoparticle (nano-Fe3O4) functionalized inactivated yeast (MY) bio-sorbent was prepared via a simple in situ co-precipitation method for easy-to-separate and cost-effective adsorption of patulin. The MY was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, zeta potential and FTIR analysis. Adsorption test revealed that compared with the commonly used two-step synthetic method, MY prepared through this one-step route with the Fe3O4/yeast mass ratio of 0.17 ± 0.01 g g−1 possesses the highest adsorption capacity of 2.69 ± 0.06 mg g−1. The effects of contact time, temperature, pH and initial concentration on patulin removal by MY were investigated. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. And the thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous and endothermic. Moreover, MY could be directly used for patulin removal from apple juice samples, showing ignorable impact on juice quality.