DES-Based Strategies for Agri-Food By-Product Valorization and Emerging DES–Lipase Systems for Mycotoxin Mitigation
- 1Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- 2LABBELS—Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Abstract
Mycotoxins remain a major threat to food and feed safety due to their high stability and toxicity. Enzymatic degradation has emerged as a potential strategy to transform mycotoxins or reduce their measured parent concentration, while confirmation of detoxification requires identification and toxicological assessment of the resulting products. Lipases have shown potential for degrading relevant mycotoxins, including ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin, and aflatoxin M1; however, their efficiency is strongly influenced by the reaction medium, which affects enzyme stability and substrate accessibility. Recent evidence demonstrated a 94% reduction in OTA concentration using porcine pancreatic lipase in a glycerol-based DES-containing model system after 4 h, while up to approximately 93% degradation was achieved in grape pomace extract after 24 h under optimized enzyme concentrations. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as tunable solvent systems that have been widely explored as greener alternatives to conventional solvents, with particular potential to modulate lipase performance and have also been widely explored for the extraction of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products. However, direct evidence of lipase-mediated mycotoxin degradation in DES-containing systems remains limited, and broader applications involving other mycotoxins, DES formulations, and engineered lipases remain largely unexplored. These complementary applications are particularly relevant within the circular bioeconomy, where residues such as grape pomace, apple pomace, and tomato by-products are valuable sources of phenolic compounds but may also be affected by mycotoxin contamination. Enzyme immobilization and chemical modification further offer complementary strategies to improve lipase stability, activity, and reusability in DES-containing systems. This review critically discusses the role of DESs in lipase-mediated mycotoxin degradation, their compatibility with free and immobilized or chemically modified lipases, and their application in the safe extraction and valorization of contaminated agri-food by-products. Key gaps include analytical validation and the identification and toxicological assessment of transformation products.
Related
- In Situ Fusarium Mycotoxin Mitigation During Wholegrain Wheat Flour Fermentation with Sourdough Lactic Acid Bacteria and Further Insights into Reduction Mechanisms.
- Unique and novel methanotroph taxa from the tropics: taxonomic novelty and a gateway to methane mitigation and valorization applications
- Oxidative Stress in Lactuca sativa L.: Cellular Mechanisms, Stress Responses, and Mitigation Strategies
- Enteric methane emissions and mitigation strategies within pasture-based dairy systems
- Roasting in nest boxes: physiological, behavioural and fitness consequences of extreme heat in cavity-nesting birds and mitigation strategies
BibTeX
@article{santos2026desbased,
title = {{DES-Based Strategies for Agri-Food By-Product Valorization and Emerging DES–Lipase Systems for Mycotoxin Mitigation}},
author = {Joana Santos and Armando Venâncio and Carla Silva},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213815},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3815},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - DES-Based Strategies for Agri-Food By-Product Valorization and Emerging DES–Lipase Systems for Mycotoxin Mitigation
AU - Joana Santos
AU - Armando Venâncio
AU - Carla Silva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213815
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3815
AB - Mycotoxins remain a major threat to food and feed safety due to their high stability and toxicity. Enzymatic degradation has emerged as a potential strategy to transform mycotoxins or reduce their measured parent concentration, while confirmation of detoxification requires identification and toxicological assessment of the resulting products. Lipases have shown potential for degrading relevant mycotoxins, including ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin, and aflatoxin M1; however, their efficiency is strongly influenced by the reaction medium, which affects enzyme stability and substrate accessibility. Recent evidence demonstrated a 94% reduction in OTA concentration using porcine pancreatic lipase in a glycerol-based DES-containing model system after 4 h, while up to approximately 93% degradation was achieved in grape pomace extract after 24 h under optimized enzyme concentrations. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as tunable solvent systems that have been widely explored as greener alternatives to conventional solvents, with particular potential to modulate lipase performance and have also been widely explored for the extraction of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products. However, direct evidence of lipase-mediated mycotoxin degradation in DES-containing systems remains limited, and broader applications involving other mycotoxins, DES formulations, and engineered lipases remain largely unexplored. These complementary applications are particularly relevant within the circular bioeconomy, where residues such as grape pomace, apple pomace, and tomato by-products are valuable sources of phenolic compounds but may also be affected by mycotoxin contamination. Enzyme immobilization and chemical modification further offer complementary strategies to improve lipase stability, activity, and reusability in DES-containing systems. This review critically discusses the role of DESs in lipase-mediated mycotoxin degradation, their compatibility with free and immobilized or chemically modified lipases, and their application in the safe extraction and valorization of contaminated agri-food by-products. Key gaps include analytical validation and the identification and toxicological assessment of transformation products.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -