Degradation of ochratoxin a and b by the white rot funguspleurotus ostreatus.

Degradation of ochratoxin A (OTA) and B (OTB) by three selected fungi during solid state fermentation of barley contaminated with ochratoxins was compared. In presence of the soil fungusRhizopus japonicus and the white rot fungusPanerochaete chrysosporium more than 60 % of the mycotoxins remained stable, while in the white rot fungusPleurotus ostreatus only 23 % of the initial OTA and 3 % of OTB were detected after a four weeks incubation period. Kinetic studies on mycotoxin degradation byPI ostreatus demonstrated formation of ochratoxin α and presumably ochratoxin β as intermediate products, what indicates that hydrolysis is the first step in OTA and OTB degradation followed by further degradation of the intermediates.