Method for killing aspergillus flavus spores by infrared radiation in coordination with essential oil fumigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12514259-B2
Application number	US-202217890308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2022
Priority date	Apr 1, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

The disclosure discloses a method for killing A. Flavus spores by infrared radiation in coordination with essential oil fumigation, and belongs to the technical field of sterilization. The method is to treat A. Flavus spores by medium and short wave infrared radiation in combination with essential oil fumigation. The disclosure provides a method for killing A. Flavus spores by medium and short wave infrared radiation in coordination with essential oil fumigation. On the one hand, air residual heat and energy of medium and short wave infrared radiation are fully used to make a material heated up rapidly, and on the other hand, essential oil on the surface of the material penetrates the cell membrane of A. Flavus spores, and further damages protein on the membrane and internal organelles in combination with the heat effect. The process is easy in operation, low in energy consumption, pollution-free and high in sterilization efficiency, and can be used for purifying bulk grains.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for killing Aspergillus flavus ( A. flavus ) spores in rice, corn, peanuts, oats, or nuts, comprising:
(A) fumigating rice, corn, peanuts, oats, or nuts with 810 mg of essential oil for 4 to 6 hours, wherein the essential oil is an aromatic oil of a labiate plant and comprises at least carvacrol as a main ingredient, and (B) radiating the rice, corn, peanuts, oats, or nuts with medium and short wave infrared radiation in sequence, wherein the medium and short wave infrared are at a wavelength of 0.7 μm to 2 μm for short wave infrared and 2 μm to 4 μm for medium wave infrared, and at a temperature of 100° C. to 110° C. for 5 to 10 minutes, and wherein the method decreases aflatoxin A. flavus contamination in the rice, the corn, the peanuts, the oats, and the nuts by 4 log CFU per ml to 5.65 log CFU per ml as compared to rice, corn, peanuts, oats, and nuts that are not subjected to steps (A) and (B).

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carvacrol amount in the essential oil is equal to or greater than 88.3% by mass of the essential oil.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the essential oil comprises at least oregano essential oil.

4 . A method for preventing aflatoxin contamination in agricultural products, comprising:
(A) fumigating the agricultural products with 810 mg of essential oil, wherein the essential oil is one or more of aromatic oils of labiate plants, wherein carvacrol is a main ingredient of the essential oil, and wherein the fumigating is performed for 6 hours, and (B) radiating the agricultural products with medium and short wave infrared, wherein the medium and short wave infrared are at a wavelength of 0.7 μm to 2 μm for short wave infrared and 2 μm to 4 μm for medium wave infrared, wherein the radiation is performed at a temperature of 100° C. to 110° C. for 5 to 10 minutes, and wherein the method decreases Aspergillus flavus contamination in the agricultural products by 4 log CFU per ml to 5.65 log CFU per ml as compared to agricultural products that are not subjected to steps (A) and (B).

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the carvacrol is equal to or greater than 88.3% by mass of the essential oil.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the agricultural products comprise rice, corn, peanuts, oats or nuts.

7 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the essential oil comprises at least oregano essential oil.

8 . A method for removing Aspergillus flavus ( A. flavus ) spores from agricultural products, comprising:
(A) fumigating the agricultural products with 810 mg of an essential oil selected from one or aromatic oils of labiate plants, and wherein carvacrol is a main ingredient of the essential oil, and wherein the fumigation is performed for 6 hours, and (B) radiating the agricultural products with medium and short wave infrared, wherein the medium and short wave infrared are at a wavelength of 0.7 μm to 2 μm for short wave infrared and 2 μm to 4 μm for medium wave infrared, wherein the medium and short wave infrared radiation is performed at a temperature of 100° C. to 110° C. for 5 to 10 minutes, and wherein the method decreases A. flavus spores in the agricultural products by 4 log CFU per ml to 5.65 log CFU per ml as compared to agricultural products that are not subjected to steps (A) and (B).

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the carvacrol is equal to or greater than 88.3% by mass of the essential oil.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the agricultural products comprise rice, corn, peanuts, oats or nuts.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the essential oil comprises at least oregano essential oil.

Assignees

• Univ Jiangnan

Inventors

• Fan Liuping
• Ji Mengmeng
• Li Jinwei

Classifications

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A23B9/18

  in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor · CPC title

• A23B7/144

  in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor · CPC title

• A23B7/01

  by irradiation or electric treatment · CPC title

• A23B2/733

  Compounds of undetermined constitution obtained from animals or plants · CPC title