Isolation and characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZDS-1: Exploring the degradation of Zearalenone by Bacillus spp.

• Zearalenone-degrading strain ZDS-1 was isolated and identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
• ZDS-1 not only could remove ZEN in the culture medium, but also could degrade ZEN in wheat.
• The ZEN removal by ZDS-1 was not due to binding or absorption, and no derivatives of ZEN were produced.
• This is the first report that B. amyloliquefaciens can degrade ZEN to date.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin produced mainly by various Fusarium species which occur naturally in many crops worldwide. ZEN causes reproductive disorders and hyperestrogenic syndromes in animals and humans. This study aimed to isolate ZEN-degrading bacteria to develop strategies for detoxifying ZEN contamination in cereal crops. We screened approximately 1000 colonies for degrading ability and found four strains were capable of degrading ZEN. We selected one strain ZDS-1 for further study because it showed the high ZEN-degrading ability. On the basis of morphological, physiological and phylogenetic analysis of its 16SrRNA, gyrA gene sequences, strain ZDS-1 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The optimal conditions for the biodegradation of ZEN by ZDS-1 were temperature; 30 °C, pH; 6.0–7.0, and cell concentration; 5 × 108 cfu/mL. ZDS-1 could degrade ZEN efficiently with the concentration from 1 mg/L to 100 mg/L. ZDS-1 not only could remove ZEN in the culture medium, but also could degrade ZEN in wheat. The ZEN removal by ZDS-1 was not due to binding or absorption, and during the process of ZEN degradation, no ZEN derivatives of ZEN were produced. These results suggested that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZDS-1 would be explored further for its ability to degrade ZEN in field trials.