Surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma for reducing zearalenone toxicity: comparative efficacy and mechanisms in gas and liquid-phase degradation

Zearalenone (ZEN) poses a major risk to grain safety and consumer health. This study compared ZEN degradation by gas-phase and liquid-phase surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) plasma. Liquid-phase treatment achieved 98.1% degradation at 25 W within 3 min, whereas gas-phase treatment reached 95.9% at 25 W within 9 min. Gas-phase degradation followed first-order kinetics, while liquid-phase degradation followed zero-order kinetics. At removal above 90%, the liquid-phase treatment also delivered a higher energy yield. O₃ was the dominant species in gas-phase degradation, whereas reactive species in liquid-phase degradation were ¹O₂ and ·OH. UPLC-MS demonstrated that both liquid and gas-phase treatments attacked the C11==C12 bond, phenolic-OH groups, and C3-methyl group, with additional cleavage of the C1 ester group in the liquid phase. Toxicity simulations and mouse colon histology indicated reduced acute and chronic toxicity after SDBD plasma treatment. These findings support SDBD plasma as an efficient detoxification strategy for grain-processing applications and food safety protection.