South Korean researchers found that a lactic acid bacterium from kimchi can bind to nanoplastics in the intestine, potentially helping remove these harmful particles from the body.
By Adam Makins·
Plastic pollution has quietly invaded our bodies. Nanoplastics, those ultrafine particles smaller than a grain of sand, slip into our systems through food and water, potentially accumulating in organs like the brain and kidneys. Now, researchers at South Korea’s World Institute of Kimchi have discovered something unexpected in a traditional fermented food that might help us fight back.
The team isolated a lactic acid bacterium called Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656 from kimchi and tested whether it could bind to polystyrene nanoplastics. What they found is genuinely promising: under simulated human intestinal conditions, this kimchi-derived strain maintained a 57% adsorption rate, far outperforming a reference bacterial strain that dropped to just 3%.
Nanoplastics are generated when larger plastic items break down into fragments smaller than one micrometer. Because of their size, these particles can cross the intestinal barrier and lodge themselves in organs where they shouldn’t be. Until now, biological strategies to remove them from the gastrointestinal tract remained largely theoretical.
Lead researcher Dr. Se Hee Lee explains: “Plastic pollution is increasingly recognized not only as an environmental issue but also as a public health concern.” The implications extend beyond individual health into broader conversations about how we’ll adapt to living in a plastic-saturated world.
The research team conducted both laboratory tests and animal experiments using germ-free mice. In the lab, strain CBA3656 showed an impressive 87% adsorption efficiency under standard conditions, comparable to the reference strain’s 85%. But the real breakthrough came when conditions were adjusted to mimic the human gut. Only the kimchi-derived bacterium maintained its effectiveness.
When mice were given the probiotic, both males and females showed more than a twofold increase in nanoplastics detected in their feces compared to control groups. This suggests the bacteria actually helps your body escort these particles out rather than letting them accumulate.
This discovery represents something larger than solving a nanoplastics problem. It demonstrates that microorganisms in traditional fermented foods might have roles we’re only beginning to understand. Kimchi has long been celebrated for digestive health benefits, but this research hints that its value extends to environmental detoxification.
The work doesn’t promise a miracle cure. One bacterial strain showing promise in mice is a far cry from approved human treatment. However, it opens a genuine avenue for research into how probiotics might combat emerging environmental contaminants we’ve only recently begun to track.
Dr. Lee’s team plans to expand their investigation into other microbes and their potential to address environmental pollutants. The goal isn’t to make kimchi a nanoplastic antidote but to understand whether nature’s fermentation processes have already produced solutions we simply haven’t studied yet.
As science continues documenting nanoplastics in human blood, organs, and even placentas, the urgency of finding removal strategies intensifies. While the obvious solution involves reducing plastic consumption and pollution, that transition won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, exploring biological mechanisms that help our bodies handle what’s already here seems pragmatic.
The fact that this breakthrough emerged from examining a food that billions of people already consume regularly is worth noting. Sometimes solutions hide in plain sight, waiting only for someone to look carefully enough.
Source: World Institute of Kimchi, National Research Council of Science and Technology
If bacteria in fermented foods can help expel nanoplastics, what other environmental hazards might our gut microbiome be equipped to handle?
