Study Suggests Bacteria in Chinese Pickles Can Prevent Caries

A probiotic derived from Chinese pickles may help prevent caries, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel, and Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. 

 According to the study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, a strain of Lactobacilli (L. plantarum K41) found in Sichuan pickles reduced Streptococcus mutans by 98.4%.  The team evaluated 14 different types of Sichuan pickles from southwest China, extracting 54 different strains of Lactobacilli. They determined  L. plantarum K41 significantly reduced the incidence and severity of caries. 

 The study, “Inhibition of Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation and Virulence by Lactobacillus plantarum K41 Isolated From Traditional Sichuan Pickles,” is available online.