Open AccessIncredible edible selenium nanoparticles produced by food-grade microorganisms
Author(s) -
Al. Ghanem Arwa,
Muhammad Jawad Nasim,
Faez Alnahas,
Yannick Ney,
Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
Marcus Koch,
Marc Schneider,
Claus Jacob
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
current nutraceuticals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2665-9794
pISSN - 2665-9786
DOI - 10.2174/2665978601999201113152144
Subject(s) - microorganism , selenium , nanoparticle , food science , antimicrobial , yeast , lactobacillus plantarum , chemistry , bacteria , nanotechnology , materials science , biology , lactic acid , biochemistry , organic chemistry , genetics
Background: Microorganisms commonly employed in food industry, such as Lactobacillus plantarum andSaccharomyces cerevisiae, are also excellent natural nanotechnologists. They reduce selenite (SeO32-) to formnanoparticles of red selenium (Se0) of exceptional quality and with interesting physical and (bio-)chemical properties. Objectives: The production of these nanoparticles has been studied in several relevant microorganisms to gain a betterpicture of the overall properties and quality of these particles, possible differences between producers, ease of productionand, in particular, biological activity. Methods: Several common microorganisms, namely L. plantarum, S. cerevisiae and Escherichia coli have been culturedunder standard conditions and 1mM concentrations of SeO32- have been converted to red particles of elemental selenium.These particles have been characterized extensively with respect to uniformity, size, shape, consistency and, in particular,biological activity against infectious microbes. Results: Highly uniform amorphous spherical particles of 100 nm to 200 nm in diameter could be produced by severalmicroorganisms, including Lactobacillus. Although originating in bacteria and yeast, these particles exhibit antimicrobialactivity when employed at concentrations of around 100 µM. This activity may in part be due to the inherent chemistry ofselenium and /or of the protein coating of the particles. Interestingly, yeast also forms larger rod-like structures. Thesemicro-needles with around 85 nm in diameter and up to 3 µm in length exhibit considerable antibacterial activity, possiblyresulting from additional, physical interactions with cellular structures. Conclusion: Common microorganisms traditionally employed in the preparation of food produce nanoparticles ofselenium which may be harvested and explored as natural antimicrobial agents or antioxidants. These particles provide afine example of and lead for natural nanotechnology with biological activity and applications in food and foodsupplementation, medicine, agriculture and cosmetics.