Table 1.

Summary of physical methods for mycotoxins decontamination^a

Methods	Commonly used measures and reagents	Decontamination efficiency	References
Sorting and separation	Sieving, aspiration, gravity separation, photoelectric separation, image processing	Removed at least 51%, 63%, 93% of AFs, trichothecenes and fumonisins from the shelled white maize.	[27]
Washing and solvent extraction	Washing, solvent extraction (methanol, ethanol, hexane, acetonitrile, isopropanol and aqueous acetone etc.)	Removed aflatoxins, trichothecenes, ZEN and fumonisins by 51-72%, 64-69%, 2-61% and 73-74% from the grains through floating and washing with water.	[25, 27, 29]
Heating	High temperature, high voltage	Decomposited 78-88% of AFB1 in rice by cooking with pressure (0.10 MPa) at 160 °C for 20 min. Destroyed 90% of DON or ZEN in barely power at 220 °C in 11 or 85min. Reduced 80% FB1 while cooking rice at 100 °C for 10 min.	[30–32]
Irradiation	X-rays, γ-rays and electron beam, ultraviolet rays, infrared and microwave	Reduced 22.0-90.7% of AFB1 by irradiation. Decomposited 17.2-100% of DON by irradiation. Decontaminated 25.0-86.0% and 60.0-100% of ZEN by γ-rays and ultraviolet rays. FB1 was inactivated by 63.5-100%, 58.1% and 93.3% by γ-rays, electron beam and microwave in feedstuffs.	[33–41]

^aAFs Aflatoxins, AFB₁ Aflatoxin B₁, DON deoxynivalenol, ZEN zearalenone, FB₁ fumonisin B₁