Degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by Staphylococcus xylosus in liquid media and meat mixture.

Abstract We investigated the growth of the meat starter Staphylococcus xylosus (10 4 cells mL −1 ) in liquid media containing 0.01 ppm of each polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 10, 28, 52, 138, 153, and 180) and its ability to degrade PCBs during 168 h of incubation in liquid media (10 4 cells mL −1 , 0.01 ppm of each PCB congener) and cured meat mixture (0.1% of meat starter, 1 μg g −1 fat of each PCB congener). PCBs did not affect the growth of the starter microorganism in nutritive (brain heart infusion, BHI) or mineral salts medium (MSM) when compared to control (no PCB). S. xylosus degraded some of the PCB congeners tested. PCBs 138 and 153 were degraded both in BHI (78% and 68%, respectively; p p S. xylosus reduced residues of various PCB congeners in liquid media, it was less effective in cured meat.