Toxic Effect of Endocrine Disruptors on the Growth Rate of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Environmental endocrine disruptors (EDs) are toxic, hormone-like chemicals which can be found in our normal daily life. We have examined if EDs can inhibit the monocellular microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria or if the growth of lactic acid bacteria could be resistant to the endocrine disruptors. We have used Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (KCTC No. 3165) as an experimental strain and bisphenol A, benzophenone and phenylphenol for the comparison purpose. Experiments included the evaluation of turbidity, absorbance and actual cell counts. We found that No.3165 was somewhat resistant to EDs naturally, however, high concentration of EDs could inhibit the growth of No. 3165 completely. Different EDs showed different spectrum of inhibit. This study should contribute to the development of more resistant lactic acid bacteria to EDs and to the development of functional fermented beverage.