Chlorate has become a concern in the food and beverage sector, related to chlorine sanitizers in industrial food production and water treatment. It is of particular concern to regulatory bodies due to the negative health effects of chlorate exposure. This study investigated the fate of chlorate in raw milk and isolated bacterial strains of interest responsible for chlorate breakdown. Unpasteurized milk was demonstrated to have a chlorate-reducing capacity, breaking down enriched chlorate to undetectable levels in 11 days. Further enrichment and isolation using conditions specific to chlorate-reducing bacteria successfully isolated three distinct strains of Hafnia paralvei. Chlorate-reducing bacteria were observed to grow in a chlorate-enriched medium with lactate as an electron donor. All isolated strains were demonstrated to reduce chlorate in liquid medium; however, the exact mechanism of chlorate degradation was not definitively identified in this study.
Keywords: Hafnia; chlorate; contamination; dairy; food safety; milk.