Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) Postbiotic in Degrading Benzo[a]pyrene

Abstract

Food packaging plays an essential role in maintaining food quality and safety. However, recycled paper-based packaging materials may contain hazardous contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which originate from additives like carbon black and extender oils used during production. These PAHs are persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT), posing risks of food contamination and public health issues due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. Previous research has shown that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) possess the ability to degrade PAHs, but the application of live bacteria is limited by their unstable viability. Therefore, this study investigates the use of LAB-derived postbiotics as a more stable and safer alternative for degrading benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) - a representative PAH from food packaging.