A new study in Poultry Science describes an aflatoxin oxidase, CotA, that the authors report alleviates aflatoxin B1 toxicity in broiler chickens by reducing hepatic aflatoxin residues and limiting oxidative-stress–driven ferroptosis. Aflatoxin B1 is a mycotoxin produced primarily by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus — molds that contaminate stored grains, animal feed, and human food supplies worldwide.
The lead author, Rao Z, and colleagues frame CotA as a potential biological tool for detoxifying aflatoxin contamination at the animal-feed stage. While the work is performed in poultry, the underlying chemistry — enzymatic degradation of a major mycotoxin — is part of the broader research effort to reduce human and animal exposure to Aspergillus toxins.
The study is indexed in PubMed.