Removal of 3-methylindole by lactic acid bacteria in vitro.

3-Methylindole (3MI) is a substance with an unpleasant odor that is found in intact male pigs and is known to negatively affect consumers of pork. The growth of four strains of lactic acid bacteria [Lactobacillus brevis 1.12 (L. brevis 1.12), L. plantarum 102, L. casei 6103 and L. plantarum ATCC8014] in incubation medium with 3MI was studied. The four strains were tested for their ability to remove 3MI from the medium. The growth of L. brevis 1.12 remained steady as the levels of 3MI increased 3MI from 0.2 to 1.0 μg/ml. The 3MI removal ability of L. brevis 1.12 was the strongest among the four strains, and the highest removal rate was 65.35±0.3% in 1 ml incubation medium containing 1.0 μg/ml 3MI for 120 h. Furthermore, the supernatant fluid of the fermentation broth of L. brevis 1.12 had a stronger ability to remove 3MI than cell pellets and cell extracts and the removal rate was 14.4±0.3% in 24 h. Further results indicate that the mode of removal of 3MI was not through the physical binding of cells by L. brevis 1.12.