Data published in Bioresource Technology indicated that Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656 from kimchi showed high biosorption efficiency across a range of nanoplastic (NP) concentrations, temperatures and pH levels.
In addition, experiments using germ-free mice showed that the strain demonstrated significantly enhanced fecal excretion of nanoplastics.
“The strain exhibited superior adsorption performance under challenging environmental conditions and effectively enhanced NP excretion in germ-free mice, providing direct in vivo validation,” wrote researcher from the WIK’s Kimchi Functionality Research Group.
“Although further field-scale and microbiota-integrated studies are necessary to confirm its applicability in natural ecosystems and the human gut, these findings establish a strong foundation.
“Collectively, this work not only highlights microbial biosorption as a promising and practical approach to address NP contamination but also provides new insights into microbe-based strategies for NP removal in environmental and health contexts.”
Gut microbes and environmental pollutants
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Study details
The Korea-based scientists analyzed two kimchi-derived strains: Leu. mesenteroides CBA3656 and Latilactobacillus sakei CBA3608. Both strains are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or included in the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) list, stated the researchers.
The highest nanoplastic biosorption efficiency across the range of conditions (NP concentrations between 10 ppm and 200 ppm, temperatures between 4°C and 55°C, and between pH 3 and pH 9) was displayed by Leu. mesenteroides CBA3656. Additional, the same strain exhibited rapid adsorption at short contact times, the researchers reported.
The composition of the cell wall for this strain was linked to the nanoplastic-interacting activity.
“Our findings underscore the importance of bacterial surface characteristics, particularly their amphiphilic nature and functional group diversity, in enhancing NP adsorption efficiency,” the researchers wrote. “Additionally, the differences observed between strains, including the higher adsorption capacity of Llb. sakei and Leu. mesenteroides compared with Wei. cibaria, highlight the roles of functional groups and surface energy in biosorption performance.”
The researchers also assessed both CBA3656 and CBA3608 in simulated intestinal fluid containing 20 ppm of nanoplastics, with the results showing that Leu. mesenteroides CBA3656 absorbed 57% of the nanoplastics in the solution in 60 minutes, while CBA3608 absorbed only 3%.
An in vivo experiment involved dividing germ-free lab mice into two groups, one of which was the control. The other groups received a dose of Leu. mesenteroides CBA3656 (1 billion CFUs) on day three. On day six, both groups received a solution containing 1,000 ppm of nanoplastics. The data showed that the CBA3656 group exhibited significantly enhanced excretion of nanoplastics in their feces, compared to the control group.
The researchers acknowledged that their findings are limited to highly controlled lab-scale experiments and stressed that they will need to determine if enhanced fecal nanoplastic excretion by the strain leads to measurable host benefits, such as less accumulation in tissues, a calming of the inflammatory responses and/or protection against toxicity in the intestine and the wider body.
“Despite these limitations, this study provides a solid experimental basis and mechanistic insights for the further development of Leu. mesenteroides CBA3656 as a microbial biosorbent targeting NPs under environmental and intestinal conditions,” they concluded.
Source: Bioresource Technology, 2026, 447, 134234. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2026.134234. “Efficient biosorption of nanoplastics by food-derived lactic acid bacterium”. Authors: J. Lee, et al.
