World Institute of Kimchi finds bacterium that binds nanoplastics

Researchers at the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) in South Korea have identified a lactic acid bacterium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656, that may help remove nanoplastics from the digestive system.

In laboratory tests simulating human intestinal conditions, the CBA3656 strain maintained a 57% adsorption rate for polystyrene nanoplastics. This significantly outperformed a reference strain, Latilactobacillus sakei CBA3608, which saw its effectiveness drop to only 3% under the same simulated conditions.

In studies involving germ-free mice, the administration of the CBA3656 strain resulted in more than a twofold increase in the amount of nanoplastics excreted in feces compared to a control group. While these results provide scientific evidence of the bacterium's ability to bind to micro-pollutants, researchers noted that human clinical trials are still required to determine if these findings translate to people.