Screening of Lactobacillus casei strains for their ability to bind aflatoxin B1

It has been proposed that the consumption of lactic acid bacteria capable of binding or degrading foodborne carcinogens would reduce human exposure to these deleterious compounds. In the present study, the ability of eight strains of Lactobacillus casei to bind aflatoxin B₁ in aqueous solution was investigated. Additionally, the effect of addition of bile salts to the growth medium on aflatoxin B₁ binding was assessed. The eight strains tested were obtained from different ecological niches (cheese, corn silage, human feces, fermented beverage). The strains exhibited different degrees of aflatoxin binding; the strain with the highest AFB₁ binding was L. casei L30, which bound 49.2% of the available aflatoxin (4.6 μg/mL). In general, the human isolates bound the most aflatoxin B₁ and the cheese isolates the least. Stability of the bacterial–aflatoxin complex was assessed by repeated washings. Binding was to a limited degree (0.6–9.2% release) reversible; the L. casei 7R1–aflatoxin B₁ complex exhibited the greatest stability. L. casei L30, a human isolate, was the strain least sensitive to the inhibitory effects of bile salts. Exposure of the bacterial cells to bile significant increased aflatoxin B₁ binding and the differences between the strains was reduced.