Alcoholic Fermentation as a Strategy to Mitigate Pesticides and Mycotoxins

In this study, alcoholic fermentation was explored to reduce the pesticides—2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and procymidone—and the mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA), besides evaluating their effects on quality parameters of the process. Fermentation (at 20 °C for 168 h) was conducted in synthetic must (YPD and 10 g hL⁻¹ of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to which the following were added: 2,4-D (6.73 mg L⁻¹) and procymidone (2.24 mg L⁻¹), simultaneously (treatment 1); and OTA (0.83 and 2.66 µg L⁻¹) (treatments 2 and 3). The control treatment had no contaminants. All contaminated treatments showed lower ethanol production and cell viability. The highest decrease in contaminants was found after 168 h of fermentation: 22 and 65% in the cases of both pesticides while OTA decreased 52 and 58% (treatments 2—0.83 µg L⁻¹ and 3—2.66 µg L⁻¹). Decrease in procymidone and OTA due to metabolic processes in yeast cells is mainly related to peroxidase activity and glutathione production.