Effective degradation of zearalenone by multiple microbial isolates

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Microbiology
• Animal Science

Background:

• Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogenic mycotoxin from fungi contaminating cereal crops used in animal feed.
• ZEN causes reproductive issues in livestock, leading to significant economic losses and posing food safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize ZEN-detoxifying microorganisms from various environmental and animal-related samples.
• To identify potent microbial candidates for mitigating ZEN contamination in animal feed.

Main Methods:

• Samples collected from diverse sources including porcine feces, piggery soil, avian intestines, milk, and moldy feed.
• Bacterial isolation using spread plate technique, followed by identification via morphology and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
• ZEN degradation assays and antibiotic resistance profiling.

Main Results:

• Multiple bacterial isolates demonstrated ZEN degradation capabilities, including Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis (84.21%–99.58% degradation).
• A standout isolate from piggery soil, identified as Priestia megaterium, showed robust ZEN degradation (up to 0.5 mg/mL) and high antibiotic tolerance (MAR index = 0.07).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified several ZEN-degrading bacteria, highlighting Priestia megaterium as a promising candidate for ZEN detoxification.
• Further research is warranted to explore the practical application of Priestia megaterium in feed detoxification strategies.