Abstract
In this study, authors investigated the cadmium tolerance, the accumulation of cadmium, and the cellular distribution of accumlated cadmium in lactic acid bacteria under the anaerobic condition. Lactic acid bacteria grew fairly well in modified EG medium containing 10 ppm of cadmium but could hardly grow at 50 ppm of cadmium. Tolerance to cadmium of genus Lactobacillus was greater than that of genus Streptococcus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus showed the higest cadmium tolerance amomg the bacteria tested. The capacity of cadmium accumlation (9.304-12.428 mg/g wet cell) of lactic acid bacteria was higher than that (6.775 mg/g wet cell) of Escherichia coli. Lactobacillus casei of them took up the largest amount of cadmium. The cadmium elimination amount (28.46-29.25%) of lactic acid bacteria from modified EG medium containing cadmium were also higher than that (14.43%) of Escherichia coli. Accumulated cadmium in Lactobacillus acidophilus was distributed by 42.41% at cell wall, 28.97% at cytoplasm, and 28.62% at plasma membrane, respectively.
