{"id":354057,"date":"2026-03-29T19:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/354057\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T19:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:05:11","slug":"bacteria-found-in-kimchi-helps-rid-your-body-of-microplastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/354057\/","title":{"rendered":"Bacteria found in kimchi helps rid your body of microplastics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers have found that a bacterium isolated from kimchi<\/a> can bind to nanoplastics in the gut and carry them out of the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The finding reframes fermented-food microbes as potential tools for limiting how much plastic remains inside people.<\/p>\n

An intestinal test
\n
\n \"EarthSnap\"\/
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Inside fluid meant to mimic the human intestine, the kimchi microbe kept holding particles that other bacteria largely released.<\/p>\n

At the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim<\/a>) Dr. Se Hee Lee and colleagues found that 57% of the particles.<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s group watched a comparison strain drop to 3% under the same gut-like conditions, after reaching 85% in standard tests.<\/p>\n

The comparison strain\u2019s collapse made the kimchi microbe look less like a curiosity and more like a serious option inside the intestine.<\/p>\n

Why plastic sticks to kimchi<\/p>\n

Bacteria commonly found in fermented foods like kimchi, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, relied on biosorption, a surface binding process that traps pollutants before they pass deeper into tissue.<\/p>\n

Chemical groups on the bacterium\u2019s outer layers appeared to help the plastic<\/a> stick, so the contact stayed stable.<\/p>\n

Before digestion was simulated, the kimchi-derived bacterium had already bound 87% of the particles, slightly ahead of a comparison strain at 85%.<\/p>\n

Performance across changing temperatures, acidity, and particle loads suggested the effect was sturdy enough to deserve animal testing.<\/p>\n

Plastic and kimchi in mice<\/p>\n

Using germ-free mice, animals raised without their usual gut<\/a> microbes, the team tested the strain without interference from other gut microbes.<\/p>\n

Male and female mice given the kimchi-derived bacterium produced more than twice as many nanoplastics in their feces as untreated controls.<\/p>\n

More particles leaving in waste suggested more plastic had been caught inside the intestine before crossing into the body. Mouse data did not prove a human effect, but they showed the idea could work in living animals.<\/p>\n

Why size matters<\/p>\n

Because nanoplastics<\/a>, plastic fragments smaller than about 0.00004 inch, can sometimes cross biological barriers, researchers worry they may linger.<\/p>\n

Human autopsy work<\/a> found far higher plastic concentrations in brain samples than in liver or kidney samples.<\/p>\n

Higher plastic levels in brain tissue still did not prove harm by themselves, leaving major questions about dose, timing, and risk.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty about harm is exactly why any safe way to keep particles inside the gut deserves close attention.<\/p>\n

How exposure happens<\/p>\n

People do not need to eat plastic directly, because tiny fragments already turn up in food<\/a>, water, and air.<\/p>\n

Sunlight, friction, heat, and time keep breaking larger debris apart, which steadily increases the number of particles people can swallow.<\/p>\n

The intestine matters first because that is where these particles meet digestion, mucus, and the cells lining the body.<\/p>\n

Edible microbes looked attractive for use in the gut, since they might intercept contaminants at the entry point instead of after wider spread.<\/p>\n

Why kimchi matters<\/p>\n

Kimchi carries lactic acid bacteria, microbes that drive fermentation and sour flavor, giving researchers a large pool of food-safe candidates.<\/p>\n

Unlike many environmental bacteria<\/a>, kimchi microbes came from a food people have eaten for generations, which changed the practical stakes.<\/p>\n

A long history of eating fermented-food microbes helped the researchers avoid building a gut strategy around strains that might carry their own risks.<\/p>\n

The result hinted that familiar fermented foods may contain useful microbes with jobs beyond flavor and preservation.<\/p>\n

Limits of this result<\/p>\n

Polystyrene served as the test plastic, so nobody yet knew whether the same strain<\/a> would bind every common polymer.<\/p>\n

Human digestion is also messier than lab fluid, with mixed meals, enzymes, bile, and countless resident microbes.<\/p>\n

Longer studies will need to test real microbial communities and ask whether binding changes absorption, inflammation, or normal gut ecology.<\/p>\n

Without human trials and longer follow-up, the work remained promising but preliminary rather than a direct answer for plastic exposure.<\/p>\n

Plastic pollution and kimchi<\/p>\n

Plastic pollution now touched food science and gut biology at once, making this finding matter beyond one fermented dish.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlastic pollution is increasingly recognized not only as an environmental issue but also as a public health concern. Our findings suggest that microorganisms derived from traditional fermented foods could represent a new biological approach to address this emerging challenge,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

The interpretation fit the evidence, because the particles were caught in the intestine before movement through the body could occur.<\/p>\n

What happens next?<\/p>\n

Nobody should treat a serving of kimchi as proof of plastic removal, because the strain tested here was isolated and carefully measured.<\/p>\n

Controlled doses in a lab or mouse study do not mirror whatever amount ends up in an ordinary meal.<\/p>\n

Screening fermented foods for stronger binders now looks like a practical next step, followed by careful human studies.<\/p>\n

A screening approach could turn familiar microbes into targeted tools against contaminants people already take in during daily life.<\/p>\n

Most plastic research has focused on pollution once it reaches oceans, soil, or organs, but this work stayed in the intestine.<\/p>\n

By showing that one food microbe can hold nanoplastics where exposure begins, the study offers a modest, concrete kind of prevention.<\/p>\n

The study is published in Bioresource Technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.<\/p>\n

Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers have found that a bacterium isolated from kimchi can bind to nanoplastics in the gut and carry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[134,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-354057","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}