Yogurt in this study is a milk drink with probiotics added during the fermentation process and has a variety of ingredients. To identify microorganisms capable of efficiently degrading histamine, thereby enhancing yogurt's quality and safety. This study focused on screening Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) from Baijiu Daqu (saccharification starter for Baijiu brewing), which exhibits histamine-reducing properties through biological characterization and molecular biology techniques. The results indicated that the strain has an optimal growth temperature of 37 °C, can survive within a pH range of 3 to 9, and demonstrates tolerance levels for sugar (4 % to 12 %) and salt (1 % to 7 %). Additionally, it possesses notable surface hydrophobicity and self-aggregation capabilities, along with robust survival rates in gastrointestinal fluids and bile salts. This strain also produces more than 40 flavor compounds, including trimethylpyrazine, pyrrole, and phenylglyoxal
its metabolites inhibit certain pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas putida (P. putida). Following co-fermentation with this bacterium in yogurt, there was a significant reduction in histamine levels-achieving a degradation rate of (41.74 ± 1.86)%. In the study, genes related to histamine degradation, such as the multicopper oxidase gene (cueO, EC: 1.16.3.4) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapA, EC: 1.2.1.12), were found to be present L. plantarum SQ1 by whole genome sequencing. This research provides technical support for reducing histamine concentrations in the manufacturing process of high-histamine fermented foods such as yogurt or aged vinegar, thereby reducing the risk of adverse reactions to consumers and laying the theoretical foundation for safer and healthier dairy production.