In vivo and In vitro Mitigation Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria Derived from Fresh Vegetables on Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins (AFs) are known to be oncogenic mycotoxins. This study investigated the mitigation effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from four types of vegetable, cucumber, Chinese cabbage, Japanese radish and eggplant, which are used to make Japanese traditional fermented pickles, on AFs. Using aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) binding assay for screening, four representative strains were selected (one from each vegetable) from total 94 LAB strains, based on the highest binding ratio. The ranges of the binding ratio of these representative strains to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2 and AFM1 were 57.5%–87.9% for the LAB strain derived from cucumber, 18.9%–43.9% for the LAB strain derived from Chinese cabbage, 26.4%–41.7% for the LAB strain derived from Japanese radish, and 15.0%–42.6% for the LAB strain derived from eggplant. The strains isolated from cucumber, Chinese cabbage, Japanese radish and eggplant were identified as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Weissella cibaria, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Leu. mesenteroides, respectively. An in vitro binding assay of the four strains under acidic conditions showed that the number of living bacteria decreased, while the binding ratio increased in some strains, suggesting that the LAB maintained their capacity to bind aflatoxins even in an environment that imitated the stomach. An in vivo experiment using L. lactis subsp. lactis derived from cucumber revealed that the bacteria significantly inhibited the absorption of AFB1 into blood. These results showed that the LAB used for Japanese vegetable pickles was an effective binding agent of AFs and suggested that they might play a role in mitigating AF absorption.