Removal of ochratoxin A from wine by adsorption-photocatalytic synergy of tubular TiO2/SiO2/g-C3N4: Mechanistic insights and degradation pathways

Chen Hu; Chao Yang; Bo Li; Bangzhu Peng

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142758

Removal of ochratoxin A from wine by adsorption-photocatalytic synergy of tubular TiO₂/SiO₂/g-C₃N₄: Mechanistic insights and degradation pathways

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 3:471:142758. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142758. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chen Hu¹, Chao Yang¹, Bo Li², Bangzhu Peng³

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
² College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
³ College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China. Electronic address: bzpeng@mail.hzau.edu.cn.

PMID: 39798373
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142758

Abstract

Consumption of contaminated wines is a significant source of ochratoxin A (OTA) intake in humans, yet existing techniques for OTA removal are inadequate. This study constructs a TiO₂/SiO₂/g-C₃N₄ catalyst (TiSiMs-TCN) with a tubular structure, capable of efficiently removing OTA from both simulated and real wines under visible light irradiation. The results of experiments, characterizations, and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the incorporation of silica enhances the adsorption capacity for OTA, and the tubular structure improves the catalyst's photoelectric properties. The internal electric field between TiSiMs and TCN facilitates electron transfer and the generation of active species, rapidly degrading the adsorbed OTA and promoting the regeneration of active sites, thus maintaining continuous adsorption-photocatalysis synergy. The OTA degradation pathway was analyzed using the Fukui index, electrostatic potential distribution, and intermediate product identification. Toxicological experiments confirm that TiSiMs-TCN is a safe and stable material capable of effectively detoxifying OTA contamination.

Keywords: Adsorption-photocatalysis synergy; DFT calculation; Degradation mechanism; Ochratoxin A; Photocatalytic detoxification.