Ultraviolet Light Effects on Patulin Mycotoxin in Foods

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a wide range of molds involved mainly in apple spoilage and is a health concern primarily in fresh apple juice and cider. Patulin can lead to acute, but more commonly, chronic condition when consumed at levels greater than 50 ppb that is a current regulatory standard. The toxicity and high occurrence of patulin in apple cider/juice promoted to establish tolerance limits in these products. Failed or insufficient application of good agricultural practices (GAP) and good manufacturing practices (GMP) during preand post-harvest, however, may result in the processing of damaged apples with high concentration of patulin. The limited ability of traditional downstream processing such as juice clarification and thermal pasteurization to reduce patulin levels encouraged the search and development of novel processing techniques to control the contamination in the final products without affecting product quality.