Patulin Detoxification via Oxidase-Like Activity of UiO-66-NH2: New Mechanistic Insights and Food Application.

Abstract

Patulin (PAT), a hazardous mycotoxin found in fruits and their products, poses significant health risks. While UiO-66-NH2 has been primarily explored as an adsorbent or carrier for mycotoxin removal, this study investigates its previously underexplored role as an oxidase-mimicking nanozyme for PAT degradation. UiO-66-NH2 achieved a maximum degradation efficiency of 84.01% within 48 h and 97.63% after 96 h. Mechanism studies revealed that the Zr-O cluster activates O2 to generate reactive oxygen species (·O2- and ·OH), which mediate the oxidative opening of the lactone and furan rings in PAT. The -NH2 enhances both PAT affinity and electron transfer of UiO-66. Three-dimensional fluorescence and LC-MS/MS analyses identified four degradation products (C7H7O5, C7H9O7, C4H5O5, and C3H5O3), enabling the proposal of a plausible degradation pathway. Applied to apple juice, UiO-66-NH2 removed 85.29% of PAT in 72 h, with a negligible impact on juice quality. This work offers an efficient nanozyme-based strategy for PAT detoxification in food applications.