Abstract: In this experiment, 10 strains of lactic acid bacteria with good fermentation performance were screened for their ethanol tolerance and ethanol degradation ability, aiming to find strains with high ethanol degradation ability. Then the selected strains were used to develop fermented milk, and its antialcoholic efficacy was evaluated. The results indicated that Lactobacillus acidophilus was found to be the best strain to degrade ethanol. Under simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions, the activation rates of ethanol dehydrogenase (ADH) in fermented milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus and Streptococcus thermophilus (2:1:1) were (36.87 ± 1.58)% and (33.64 ± 1.90)%, respectively; the 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation scavenging abilities (glutathione equivalent) were (1 293.72 ± 4.12) and (729.98 ± 21.37) μmol/mL, and the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities (glutathione equivalent) were (16.14 ± 0.12) and (11.26 ± 0.10) μmol/mL, respectively. After intragastric administration of the fermented milk at different doses, blood alcohol levels in alcohol-drinking rats decreased, reaching 51.62 mg/100 mL at 3 h in the high dose group (P < 0.001). Additionally, the fermented milk reduced the serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to different degrees in a dose-dependent way, and it had a potent protective effect on alcohol-induced liver injury. In summary, this study provides a scientific basis for developing antialcoholic products in the future.

Key words: ethanol-degrading strains, fermented milk, activation rate of ethanol dehydrogenase, radical scavenging activity, liver protection