Total Biodegradation of the Oestrogenic Mycotoxin Zearalenone by a Bacterial Culture

A mixed culture of bacteria, enriched from soil collected at a coal gasification site, proved capable of removing the potent oestrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone from culture media. The bacteria grew rapidly when zearalenone was provided as the sole source of carbon and energy. HPLC and ELISA analysis of culture extracts revealed no zearalenone or zearalenone-like products. Fourteen bacterial isolates from the mixed culture were identified and purified. The ability to degrade zearalenone was lost upon purification and recombination of the bacterial members of the mixed culture. A strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens capable of degrading polychlorinated biphenyls was unable to degrade zearalenone. This is the first report of the complete degradation of zearalenone by bacteria. The present study suggests the potential of mixed cultures in the biodegradation of zearalenone.