Effective degradation of aflatoxin B₁ using a novel thermophilic microbial consortium TADC7

We constructed a novel thermophilic microbial consortium, TADC7, with stable and efficient aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) degradation activity. The microbial consortium degraded more than 95% of the toxin within 72h when cultured with AFB₁, and the optimum temperature was 55-60°C. TADC7 tolerated high doses of AFB₁, with no inhibitory effects up to 5000μgL^-1 AFB₁; moreover, the degradation kinetics fit well with the Monod model. The proteins or enzymes in the TADC7 cell-free supernatant played a major role in AFB₁ degradation. AFB₁ degradation by the cell-free supernatant was stable up to 90°C, with an optimal pH of 8-10. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing to determine TADC7 community structure dynamics; the results indicated that Geobacillus and Tepidimicrobium played major roles in AFB₁ degradation.