Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058, which was screened from the Chinese traditional fermented vegetable, has the capacity to convert the linoleic acid (LA) into conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Some specific isomers of CLA with potentially beneficial physiological and anticarcinogenic effects, were efficiently produced from free linoleic acid by washed cells of Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058 under aerobic conditions. The produced CLA isomers are identified as the mixture of cis-9, trans-ll-octadecadienoic acid (CLA1) trans-10, cis-12-octadecadienoic acid (CLA2), 96.4% of which is CLA1. The washed cells of Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058 producing high levels of c9, t11-CLA were obtained by cultivated in MRS media containing 0.5 mg/mL linoleic acid, indicating that the enzyme system for CLA production is induced by linoleic acid. After a 24-hour bioconversion at 37 degrees C with shaking (120 r/min), 312.4 microg/mL c9, t11-CLA is produced. And after a 36-hour bioconversion, the content of c9, t11-CLA decreases while hydroxy-octadecaenoic acid increases. In addition, the c9, t11-CLA isomer can be transformed to hydroxy- octadecaenoic acid when the mixed CLA (c9, t11-CLA and t10, c12-CLA) were used as the substrate, which suggests that c9, t11-CLA is one of the intermediates of the bioconversion products from free LA by washed cells of Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058.