Microbial Detoxification of Residual Pesticides in Fermented Foods: Current Status and Prospects

Abstract

The treatment of agricultural areas with pesticides is an indispensable approach to improve crop yields and cannot be avoided in the coming decades. At the same time, significant amounts of pesticides remain in food and their ingestion causes serious damage such as neurological, gastrointestinal, and allergic reactions; cancer; and even death. However, during the fermentation processing of foods, residual amounts of pesticides are significantly reduced thanks to enzymatic degradation by the starter and accompanying microflora. This review concentrates on foods with the highest levels of pesticide residues, such as milk, yogurt, fermented vegetables (pickles, kimchi, and olives), fruit juices, grains, sourdough, and wines. The focus is on the molecular mechanisms of pesticide degradation due to the presence of specific microbial species. They contain a unique genetic pool that confers an appropriate enzymological profile to act as pesticide detoxifiers. The prospects of developing more effective biodetoxification strategies by engaging probiotic lactic acid bacteria are also discussed.

Microbial Fermentation as an Efficient Method for Eliminating Pyrethroid Pesticide Residues in Food: A Case Study on Cyfluthrin and Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus D-21

“…Cho et al have found that the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos was degraded by microorganisms during kimchi fermentation. Meanwhile, the enzymatic degradation by the starter and accompanying microflora plays a pivotal role in significantly reducing the presence of pesticide residues during the fermentation process . Therefore, fermentation has been considered an effective way to reduce pesticide residues in food products, and microorganisms derived from fermented foods have great application potential in controlling the pesticide residues in agricultural and sideline products.…”