Detoxification of zearalenone by Lactobacillus pentosus strains.

Zearalenone (ZEA) contamination in food samples plays a critical role in food safety, since it causes serious health problems. Usage of microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), is a promising new approach for detoxification. Eight Lactobacillus pentosus strains were evaluated for their ability to remove ZEA from a sodium acetate buffer solution with initial ZEA concentrations of 5.51–74.70 μg/mL. The adsorption capacity increased with increasing ZEA concentrations. The strain JM0812 showed the highest adsorption capability, at 83.17%, in solution containing 74.70 μg/mL ZEA, followed by UM054 (82.78%) and UM055 (81.69%), respectively. Three adsorption isotherms were applied to predict the removal efficiency of ZEA and the Freundlich isotherm appeared to have the best-fit for ZEA sorption onto bacterial cells. Our results indicate that Lb. pentosus strains are novel promising strains to reduce mycotoxin contamination in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]