Enhanced degradation of five organophosphorus pesticides in skimmed milk by lactic acid bacteria and its potential relationship with phosphatase production

Skimmed milk spiked with five organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), chlorpyrifos, diazinon, fenitrothion, malathion and methyl parathion, was fermented by ten lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and four strain combinations at 42 °C for 24 h. OPPs left in the samples at different times were extracted, purified, detected by gas chromatography and calculated for degradation rate constants, based on a first-order reaction model. OPPs degradation was enhanced by the inoculated LAB, resulting in 0.8–225.4% increase in the rate constants. Diazinon and methyl parathion were more stable whereas chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion and malathion were more labile. Lactobacillus brevis 1.0209 showed the strongest acceleration on OPPs degradation while strain combination could bring about a synergy between the strains of lower ability. Phosphatase production of the strains might be one of the key factors responsible for the enhanced OPPs degradation, as the detected phosphatase activities were positively correlated to the measured degradation rate constants of OPPs (r = 0.636–0.970, P < 0.05).