Effect of sodium selenite on the bacteria growth, selenium accumulation, and selenium biotransformation in Pediococcus acidilactici

In this study, the effect of low selenium concentrations on bacteria growth, selenium bioaccumulation, and selenium speciation in Pediococcus acidilactici was investigated. Six different sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) solutions with concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/L were added in MRS broth for 24 h. Then, the obtained bacterial pellets were weighed. The contents of total selenium and selenium species in the bacterial pellets were measured via optimized enzymatic hydrolysis and HPLC-ICP-MS. The maximum dried P. acidilactici biomass of 1.44 g/L was achieved by utilizing 1 mg/L Na₂SeO₃. By increasing sodium selenite concentrations, total selenium contents were significantly increased from 0.14 to 1.45 mg/g dry weight (p < 0.05). The findings indicated that selenium was favorably incorporated into the bacteria protein fraction and mainly formed selenocysteine. Therefore, selenium-enriched lactic acid bacterium P. acidilactici can deliver a less-toxic, more bioavailable selenium source for human and animal nutrition.