Patulin biodegradation and quality improvement of apple puree fermented with Byssochlamys nivea FF1-2

The filamentous fungus Byssochlamys nivea FF1-2 is a recently reported strain with excellent patulin biodegrading capability. This study investigated the effects of FF1-2 on the quality of apple puree during the process of patulin degradation. Apple puree artificially contaminated with high-dose patulin (125, 250 and 500 μg/mL) was fermented by FF1-2 for 10 days, and over 97% of patulin was degraded in the apple purees after fermentation, and the maximal degradation of patulin was 98.5%. Physicochemical analysis demonstrated that after 10 days of fermentation, the pH and the amount of reducing sugars in the apple puree decreased significantly. The volatile profile assessment of fermented apple puree obtained from HS-SPME/GC-MS indicated that the amounts of acids, aldehydes and ketones decreased, and the content of aroma-active compounds mainly aliphatic alcohols and esters, were significantly increased after FF1-2 fermentation. In addition, further reports of sensory evaluation also revealed good acceptability of the fermented apple puree. Thus, FF1-2 not only effectively degraded patulin in apple puree, but improved quality of apple puree, especially the aroma profile. These findings indicate that FF1-2 has a promising application for controlling mycotoxin contamination and quality improvement in juice production industry.