Zearalenone removal using inactivated yeast embedded in porous modified yam starch aerogels and its application in corn silk tea

Zearalenone contaminates food and poses a threat to human health. It is vital to develop cost-effective and environmentally-friendly adsorbents for its removal. By screening Sporobolomyces pararoseus (SZ4) and modified yam starch (adsorption capacity (q_e) of 1.33 and 0.94 mg/g, respectively), this study prepared a novel composite aerogel adsorbent (P-YSA@SZ4₁₀). The compressive strength of P-YSA@SZ4₁₀ was 1.35-fold higher than unloaded yeast. It contained several functional groups and three-dimensional interconnected channels, achieving a 0° contact angle within 0.18 s, thereby demonstrating excellent water-absorbent properties. With a q_e of 2.96 mg/g at 308 K, the adsorption process of P-YSA@SZ4₁₀ was spontaneous, endothermic, and matched pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The composite adsorbed zearalenone via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, maintaining a q_e of 2.24 mg/g after five cycles. P-YSA@SZ4₁₀ was found to remove zearalenone effectively under various conditions and could be applied to corn silk tea, indicating its great potential as an adsorbent material.