Dairy bacterium's enzymes destroy toxic mold contaminant in minutes
Fang Q, Wan X, Guo L, Liu Y, Wang C
Food Safety
If you enjoy a glass of wine or care about what goes into animal feed, this toxin, produced by mold on grapes and grains, has long been hard to remove without harsh chemicals, and these new enzymes offer a gentler fix.
Ochratoxin A is a harmful toxin made by certain molds that can contaminate wine, coffee, and grains. Researchers discovered a bacterium from traditional fermented dairy that makes three enzymes able to break this toxin apart almost instantly, even staying stable across a range of temperatures and acidity levels. That means food and drink producers could one day use these enzymes to detoxify contaminated products naturally instead of relying on chemical treatments.
Key Findings
Pediococcus acidilactici NX8 fully degraded 1 μg/mL of ochratoxin A within 24 hours
Three novel enzymes (XlyAB, AmiE, Pbp4b) were identified and, in recombinant form, degraded 2 μg/mL of the toxin within just 5 minutes
The enzymes remained stable across pH 4-7 and temperatures from 4-50°C, and worked effectively in real wine and feed samples
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found a bacterium from fermented dairy that produces enzymes capable of completely breaking down a toxic mold byproduct called ochratoxin A in just minutes, offering a fast, natural way to clean up contaminated wine and animal feed.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Mechanistic insights into ochratoxin A biodetoxification by Pediococcus acidilactici NX8 involving a multi-hydrolase toolbox.
This study aimed to develop efficient and environmentally friendly detoxification strategies for ochratoxin A (OTA). Pediococcus acidilactici NX8, isolated from traditional fermented dairy products...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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