Evaluation of selenite bioremoval from liquid culture by Enterococcus species

The genus Enterococcus belong to the genera of bacteria that produce lactic acid and can confer health benefits to living organisms. Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals. Thirty-six Enterococcus species isolated from dairy products were screened for Se(IV) sorption capacity for use as a probiotics in animal nutrition. Several isolates grew luxuriantly and significantly removed Se(IV) from Se(IV) amended medium. Two isolates, LAB 14 and LAB 18, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as Enterococcus faecalis (98% nucleotide sequence similarity) and Enterococcus faecium (97% nucleotide sequence similarity), respectively, were selected for further studies. The two isolates grew optimally and removed selenium at initial pH 7.0. Optimum removal of Se(IV) from the medium was recorded at 25°C. Time course studies showed that after 8h of incubation LAB 14 and LAB 18 cultures displayed the highest biomass production and Se(IV) bioremoval and most selenite in culture depleted in 24h. At initial concentrations of 10 mg L(-1) and 60 mg L(-1), E. faecium (LAB 18) removed 9.91 mg L(-1) and 59.70 mg L(-1), respectively after 24h. Similar Se(IV) bioremoval capacity was recorded with E. faecalis (LAB 14). Substantial amount of Se was detected in biomass of E. faecium (0.4599 mg g(-1) of dry weight) and E. faecalis (0.4759 mg g(-1) of dry weight). The significant uptake and transformation of Se(IV) by the Enterococcus species observed in this study suggest that they can be used to deliver dietary Se through feed augmentation with Se(IV)-enriched Enterococcus biomass.