Effects of the Weissella cibaria CXO-1 Postbiotic and Its Mixture With Peppermint Oil Powder on Halitosis-Causing Bacteria

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory activity of the postbiotic derived from Weissella cibaria CXO-1, obtained by heat treatment, against the halitosis-causing strains Fusobacterium nucleatum KCTC 2640 and Porphyromonas gingivalis KCTC 5352, and assessed its antibacterial synergy when combined with peppermint oil powder, a widely used oral-malodor control agent. The postbiotic showed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 9.4 mg/mL against F. nucleatum KCTC 2640 and 37.5 mg/mL against P. gingivalis KCTC 5352, and began to inhibit the production of hydrogen sulfide/methyl mercaptan from 4.7/9.4 mg/mL, and 37.5/37.5 mg/mL, respectively, demonstrating intrinsic antibacterial action. Peppermint oil powder alone also exhibited antibacterial activity, with MICs of 12.5 mg/mL against F. nucleatum KCTC 2640 and 1.6 mg/mL against P. gingivalis KCTC 5352. When combined, MIC was substantially lowered: the postbiotic decreased to 1.2 mg/mL against F. nucleatum KCTC 2640 and 4.7 mg/mL against P. gingivalis KCTC 5352, while peppermint oil powder decreased to 6.3 mg/mL and 0.8 mg/mL, respectively, indicating 2- to 8-fold enhanced potency. Collectively, these data confirm that the W. cibaria CXO-1 postbiotic has an antibacterial efficacy, that is further amplified by co-formulation with peppermint oil powder, supporting its potential as a novel functional oral-care ingredient for halitosis management.