Lactoremediation: Heavy metals elimination from the gastrointestinal tract by lactic acid bacteria

Since the beginning of human history, the consumption of food has been a fundamental requirement for human beings. However, the contemporary emergence of functional foods has revolutionized the food concept, leading to a paradigm shift whereby food-grade material has been redefined as biomedicine and health supplements. Different studies have been devoted to functional food, including Lactic Acid Bacteria-based ones, especially for its heavy metal quenching activity. Due to the Industrial Revolution, heavy metal waste has arisen, causing concern among experts about its harmful effects on living organisms, crops, food, and water. Various chemical and physical techniques have been researched to remove heavy metals from edibles. However, some of these methods have faced obstacles and could not be applied to eliminating heavy metals in the human body. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most famous microorganisms engaged in food and dairy products. Their remarkable impacts on the body's well-being have been confirmed through numerous investigations. The capacity for Bioremediation of chemicals, specifically heavy metals, is an exceptional attribute of LAB, supported by a robust genetic foundation. LAB represents a viable, harmless, and practical solution for the detoxification of heavy metals from biological sites such as the human gastrointestinal tract, which have been investigated through broad studies. The current review will scrutinize the metal bio-removal characteristic of Lactic Acid Bacteria based on relevant research in recent years. Moreover, we will look at the genetic roots of a few heavy metal Bioremediation strategy and their distinct approaches in specialized bacterial strains.