Aflatoxins (AFs), the secondary metabolites produced by species of Aspergillus, have harmful effects on
humans, animals, and crops that result in illnesses and economic losses. This investigationwas designed to
assess the potential of four strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for removing AFs in vitro. The stability of AFs
complexes formed with LAB in viable and non-viable (heat treated) formswas assessed. The strain with the
highest ability to bind AFswas selected to study its impact on removing AFs from contaminated wheat flour
during baladi bread baking process. Three treatments of baladi bread produced from contaminated
wheat flour were formulated including treatment (A) as control fermented by bakery yeast, treatment
(B) fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus TISTR 541 and treatment (C) fermented by the mixture of bakery
yeast and L. rhamnosus. The samples were collected during different steps of bread baking process. The
results indicated that there were significant differences between the amounts of AFB and AFG detected in
each sample and there were significant differences between the strains in their ability to bind AFB and AFG
in the viable and heated stage. L. rhamnosus was the highest strain able to bind the AFB1 and treatment C
was the highest in removing of AFs from contaminated wheat flour during baking process