Insights into the Metabolic Response of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM1287 upon Patulin Exposure.

Patulin (PAT) is a common mycotoxin in the food industry, and is found in apple products in particular. Consumption of food or feed contaminated with PAT can cause acute or chronic toxicity in humans and animals. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM1287 is a probiotic strain that effectively degrades PAT in PBS and food systems. In this study, it was found that the concentration of PAT (50 mg/L) in MRS medium decreased by 85.09% during the first stages of CCFM1287 growth, and this change was consistent with the first-order degradation kinetic model. Meanwhile, the regulation of oxidative stress by L. plantarum CCFM1287 in response to PAT exposure and metabolic changes that occur during PAT degradation were investigated. The degree of intracellular damage was attenuated after 16 h of exposure compared to 8 h. Meanwhile, metabolomic data showed that 30 and 29 significantly different metabolites were screened intracellularly in the strain after 8 h and 16 h of PAT stress at 50 mg/L, respectively. The results of pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the purine metabolic pathway was significantly enriched at both 8 h and 16 h. However, as is consistent with the performance of the antioxidant system, the changes in Lactiplantibacillus diminished with increasing time of PAT exposure. Therefore, this study helps to further explain the mechanism of PAT degradation by L. plantarum CCFM1287.

The characteristics of patulin detoxification by Lactobacillus plantarum 13M5.

Patulin (PAT) is a widespread mycotoxin that harms the health of both humans and animals. In this study, among the 17 tested Lactobacillus plantarum strains, L. plantarum 13M5, isolated from traditional Chinese fermented foods, showed the highest PAT degradation rate of up to 43.8% (PAT 5 mg/L). Evaluation of the living and dead 13M5 cells revealed that only the living cells had the ability to remove PAT and degrade it into E-ascladiol. A cell-based assay revealed that L. plantarum 13M5 administration alleviated PAT-induced injuries in Caco-2 cells, including cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and tight junction disruption. Our results suggest that L. plantarum 13M5 has the potential to reduce PAT toxicity and can thus be used as a probiotic supplement to reduce or eliminate the toxicity of PAT ingested from diet.

A comparison of the inhibitory activities of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium against Penicillium expansum and an analysis of potential antifungal metabolites.

The infection of fruits by Penicillium expansum (P. expansum) do not only cause economic loss but also potentially endanger human health, especially because few biocontrol agents against this fungus have been well studied yet. In this work, to verity the antifungal activity against P. expansum of 22 Bifidobacterium and 44 Lactobacillus, dual-culture overlay assay, microtiter plate well assay and agar spot assay were successively performed. One of the strain, Bifidobacterium adolescentis (B. adolescentis) CCFM1108 exhibited the most potent inhibition ability among all tested strains. Additionally, we showed that multiple antifungal compounds produced by tested strain synergistically inhibit the growth of P. expansum, including lactic acid, acetic acid, 3-phenyllactic acid and p-hydroxyphenyllactic acid. Those active compounds mentioned were detected in the cell-free supernatant and characterized by metabolomics analysis using GC-MS. Correspondingly, B. adolescentis CCFM1108 supernatant disrupted plasma membrane integrity of the P. expansum mycelial and drastically reduced patulin production in P. expansum. The inhibitive effects of B. adolescentis CCFM1108 were also confirmed with three other P. expansum strains. The active inhibitory properties of Bifidobacterium strains, especially B. adolescentis CCFM1108, indicate that B. adolescentis can be potentially used as a novel bioagent to prevent or delay fungal spoilage on fruit.

Progress in the distribution, toxicity, control, and detoxification of patulin: A review.

Patulin (PAT) is a secondary metabolite secreted by fungi in the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Enterobacter and is the most common mycotoxin found in apples and apple derivatives (e.g., juice, cider, preserves). Previous reports described the wide distribution of PAT and more direct and destructive toxicity than that associated with other mycotoxins. These findings underscore the need to develop new patulin control and detoxification methods and thus ensure food safety. This review comprehensively summarizes the existing research and progress in the distribution, toxicity, control, and detoxification of PAT and highlights the lack of research regarding the effects of PAT on intestinal health. We aim not only to educate health-conscious consumers about PAT but also to encourage field experts to address the existing knowledge gaps and provide a new orientation for future research.