Decontamination of deoxynivalenol in Indica rice by cold plasma and the determination of major degradation products

Previous studies offer limited research on the degradation pathway and byproducts of deoxynivalenol (DON) in rice through Cold Plasma (CP) treatment, particularly in the identification of products with smaller molecular weights. This study applies CP to treat DON-contaminated Indica rice, examining its efficacy in degrading DON, the resulting byproducts, and its impact on the rice's primary nutritional components and moisture content. The findings reveal a degradation rate of 62.4%, with minimal nutritional impact and a decreased moisture content. Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS), we identified 5 potential degradation pathways for the toxin, along with the chemical structures of the degradation products. These results enhance our understanding of the DON degradation mechanism via cold plasma and serve as a reference for studying the degradation mechanisms of structurally similar compounds.