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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1508842

Effects of Different Additives on the Fermentation Quality, Mycotoxin Concentrations and Microbial Community of High-Moisture Corn Kernels during Wet Storage

Provisionally accepted
Xingya Wang Xingya Wang 1Yuqiu Guo Yuqiu Guo 1*Shoumei Zhang Shoumei Zhang 1*Linlin Sun Linlin Sun 1*Lirong Chen Lirong Chen 1*Kuijie Gong Kuijie Gong 1*Kaichang Liu Kaichang Liu 2*
  • 1 Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
  • 2 Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The moisture content of corn kernels at harvest in China is relatively high, and wet storage of high-moisture corn kernels can better preserve them. However, ensuring effective fermentation is crucial. Consequently, we systematically investigated the variations in fermentation quality, mycotoxin concentrations and microbial community under different additive treatments. The treatments were: CK, deionized water; LAB, homo-and hetero-lactic acid bacteria (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Weissella confusa MF01); and EN, cellulase, followed by 60 and 90 days of fermentation. The results indicated that LAB and EN treatments significantly decreased the concentrations of DON, AFB1 and ZEN compared to CK in high-moisture corn kernels during wet storage. Compared to the CK treatment, LAB treatment significantly increased lactic and acetic acid contents while decreased pH value and NH3-N content. The LAB treatment also showed higher crude protein (CP, 8.24% DM) and starch contents (73.01% DM) and lower water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (5.05% DM) than CK treatment. Additionally, the LAB treatment decreased both common and unique operational taxonomic units, resulting in decreased microbial diversity, while the relative abundance of Weissella increased after 60 days compared to CK. However, despite the higher lactic and acetic acid levels in the EN treatment, the pH did not significantly decrease due to higher NH3-N content. Overall, the LAB treatment had lower mycotoxin concentrations, better fermentation quality and preservation of nutritional components. This study provides theoretical support and guidance for future wet storage of high-moisture corn kernels.

    Keywords: high-moisture corn kernels, Wet storage, microbial community, Lactic acid bacteria, Quality safety

    Received: 10 Oct 2024; Accepted: 19 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Guo, Zhang, Sun, Chen, Gong and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yuqiu Guo, Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
    Shoumei Zhang, Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
    Linlin Sun, Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
    Lirong Chen, Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
    Kuijie Gong, Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji'nan, China
    Kaichang Liu, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, 250000, Shandong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.