Kimchi Probiotic May Help Remove Nanoplastics From the Body

A probiotic bacterium found in kimchi may help the body eliminate nanoplastics. Scientists in South Korea discovered this microbe's ability to bind to plastic particles. This binding could facilitate their removal from the body before they accumulate in organs.

Nanoplastics are tiny plastic particles, smaller than one micrometer. They originate from the breakdown of larger plastic materials. These particles can enter the human body through food and water. Concerns exist that nanoplastics might pass through the intestinal barrier and build up in organs like kidneys and the brain.

The research team, led by Drs. Se Hee Lee and Tae Woong Whon, focused on *Leuconostoc mesenteroides* CBA3656. This bacterium is a lactic acid strain isolated from kimchi. They tested its effectiveness in attaching to polystyrene nanoplastics in laboratory settings.

Under standard conditions, the kimchi strain showed an 87% adsorption efficiency. This was comparable to a reference strain, *Latilactobacillus sakei* CBA3608, which had 85%. When conditions mimicked the human intestine, the kimchi strain maintained a 57% binding level. The reference strain's adsorption rate dropped significantly to three percent.

Further tests were conducted in germ-free mice. Mice that received the CBA3656 strain excreted more than double the amount of nanoplastics in their feces. This suggests the bacterium helps remove nanoplastics by binding to them in the intestine. The findings were published in the journal *Bioresource Technology*.