Advances in Environmental Biology, 10(10) October 2016, Pages: 33-39

AENSI Journals

Advances in Environmental Biology

ISSN-1995-0756

EISSN-1998-1066

Journal home page: http://www.aensiweb.com/AEB/

Immobilization Of Lactic Acid Bacteria On Bentonite

Clay Particles of Maghnia Region West-Algerian
1Moulay

Meriem, 2Hadj Said Aissa, 2Hocine Laredj and 3Kihal Mebrouk.

Laboratory of hygiene and animal pathology, Institute of Veterinary Sciences, University Ibn Khaldoun BP 78 Zaaroura Tiaret - Algeria.
Laboratory of agro-biotechnology and nutrition in semi-arid areas, faculty of sciences of nature and of life, University Ibn Khaldoun Tiaret
- Algeria.
3
Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Departement of Biology, Faculty of Nature Sciences and Live, University of Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella
Oran, 31100 Algeria.
2

Address For Correspondence:

Moulay Meriem, Laboratory of hygiene and animal pathology, Institute of Veterinary Sciences, University Ibn Khaldoun BP 78
Zaaroura Tiaret - Algeria.
E-mail : moulaymeriem@yahoo.fr
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Received 28 August 2016; Accepted 18 October 2016; Available online 22 October 2016

ABSTRACT
Microorganisms may attach to the solid surfaces by their bio adhesive properties in order to form a biofilm, which can be used in several
areas, including those in the food and the treatment of water. A re-identification of three strains of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus
fermentum, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis) have been carried out by its phenotypes
characterizations (Macroscopic on culture media MRS and M17 (liquid and solid), Microscopic after Gram stain, biochemical whose
catalase test and fermentation Type before testing their capital assets on clay particles in suspension, thus forming the complex bio sorbents.
After centrifuging the suspension, we observed a good fixation of these particles, in particular the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar.
diacetylactis and Streptococcus thermophilus, respectively with a number of attached cells of 72x107 and 70x107 cfu/ml, and this after 4
hours of incubation at 30 and 37C, whereas the Lactobacillus fermentum was less with only 40x106 cfu/ml. We have also observed an
obvious increase in the growth of the number of cells Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis in the presence of clay particles
in suspension, from an initial number of 40x106 cfu/ml to 85x107 cfu/ml after 24 hours of incubation, this is probably due to the catalytic
role played by the clay particles in suspension in their multiplication.

KEYWORDS Clay of Maghnia, Lactic acid bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar.
diacetylactis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Bio sorbent.
INTRODUCTION
The industrial developments, technological and agronomic traits have resulted in a great improvement in
the economy field. However, they have led to the emergence of a harmful phenomenon, which has severely hurt
the humanity, as well as the environment: it is mainly the pollution. To limit or reduce this pollution, it is
required to deal with any industrial effluent before its discharge into the natural environment. The treatments
used, can be physico-chemical and/or microbiological, involving in some cases, the use of materials that are able
to eliminate the micropollutants.
Appeared in recent years a technique named biosorption, technique based on passive taking of various
substances: heavy metals [24,25], colors [26] by bacteria mortes / inactivated.
Some microorganisms may attach to the solid surfaces by their bio adhesive properties to form a biofilm,
which can be used for example as a bio sorbent in the field of water treatment [10].
We focused on the model of lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus diacetylactis, Lactobacillus fermentum et
Streptococcus thermophilus) because they are used in the dairy industry [17] as a representative example for the

Copyright 2016 by authors and Copyright, American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI Publication).

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study of the influence exerted by the immobilization process of production on the one hand and, dairy properties
and secondly because this group of bacteria has a beneficial effect on the gastro-intestinal tract of man and
animals by their capacity for colonization [12].
The formation of a biofilm on a solid surface is a complex phenomenon, so several steps are necessary for
this formation, in which physical, chemical and biological processes are involved [19]. In the natural conditions,
the bacteria carry out their growth mainly in the form of immobilized communities (films, colonies or the
aggregates), their activity is traditionally studied from isolated planktonic cells [12].
In soil, bacteria can develop in association with plants roots and also they can adsorb on inorganic surfaces.
The clay in soil plays a central role in influencing its structure, its porosity as well as its ability to exchange.
Clay is a simple mineral and natural material, very abundant, consisting of aluminosilicates, the sheet structure
is well known, it results from the decomposition of rocks (superficial parts of the earths crust, such as granite)
that crystallized over time [13].
The aim of the present paper is to test the abilities of accession of lactic acid bacteria to clay particles of
Maghnia in suspension to form complexes bio sorbents. To do this, we proceeded to the purification of the clay
by sedimentation, re-identify of the lactic strains (Lactococcus diacetylactis, Lactobacillus fermentum et
Streptococcus thermophilus) isolated from the raw gaots milk produced west Algeria, for their phenotypic and
biochemical characteristic before securing on clay particle of Maghnia for to get the complex biosorbents, and
study their kinetics growth in absence and presence of clay in a suitable culture medium.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Clay purification:
We have used a clay placed at our disposal by the company ALFET (Algerian for smelleders in Tiaret),
from a deposit meadows of Maghnia and marketed by the company ENOF of Maghnia under the name of
"bentonite of Foundry". It is mineral clay containing mainly the montmorillonite, which belongs to the smectite
group the Type 2:1, formed by the superposition of three layers, a octahedral layer between two tetrahedral
layers. In water, the mineral clays remain in suspension in the form of small particles with a diameter of about 2
m and possess a lamellar structure (succession of slips) [20]. The chemical composition of elementary clay of
Maghnia, is indicated in table 1 [4].
Table 1: Elementary chemical composition of bentonite clay of Maghnia [4].
Elements
%
*loss to a fire at 900C.

SSiO2

AA2O3

FFeO3

CCaO

MMgO

NNa2O

KK2
O

TTiO2

AAs

FFAF*

669.4

114.7

11.2

00.3

11.1

00.5

00.8

00.2

00.05

111

To rid the clay of Maghnia of all crystalline particles (quartz, feldspar, calcite,), we conducted firstly a
sieving of 40 grams of clay through a sieve of 50 m, before putting in suspension by agitation during 24 hours
in 2 liter of distilled water and then the suspension is put at rest during several days in a test tube to settle. By
siphoning it retrieves, the 400 milliliters of the top of the test piece, which constituted a colloidal suspension of
clay particles whose size is less than 2 m, sterilized in an autoclave for 20 minutes at 120C, before use in our
tests. The mass m of the residue obtained after evaporation of a volume V of the suspension in an oven, allows
us to determine the concentration of clay particles of the suspension found equal to 0.58 g/l.
Re-Identification of strains:
The studied lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus diacetylactis, Lactobacillus fermentum and Streptococcus
thermophilus), are those that the Laboratory of the Applied Microbiology at the University of Oran has kindly
put at our disposal. These bacterial species were isolated from the raw milk of cheese goat in the west region of
Algeria (Oran, Tiaret).
The activation of lactic strains was performed on MRS environments and M17 Liquid. After growth, it was
proceeded to their purification on MRS environments and M17 solids [16]. The cultures were incubated at 30,
37, and 45C respectively for the Lactococcus diacetylactis, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus
fermentum, during 24 h to 48 h in order to obtain well isolated colonies [1,18]. The obtaining of pure cultures
from colonies well separated, were made by dilution in liquid medium and by stripes in solid medium. The
purity of the strains was reviewed by a macroscopic and microscopic control using the Gram stain.
Macroscopic features:
The macroscopic study allows us to describe the bacterial cultures on solid and liquid medium. On solid
medium, we describe the type of colonies, the color, the rim, the elevation, the form as well as the diameter. In

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contrast, on liquid medium, the aspect of micro aerophile culture, which may be of particular interest in the
choice of the strain of lactic acid bacteria.
Microscopic features:
It is a microscopic examination, which allows you to define the cellular morphological aspects, the form
and association type by the Gram stain.
Biochemical features:
Catalase Test:
The research for the catalase is done by placing in contact bacterial colonies with a few drops of oxygenated
water. The gaseous release reflects the positive activity of the catalase enzyme, which decomposes the
oxygenated water into water with release of oxygen [15,21].
Test of fermentative Type:
This test helps us to evaluate the metabolism type, by which the carbon substrate is transformed. To
evaluate their growth, we incubated the tested lactic strains in the mid MRS or M17 liquid containing the bell of
Durham, the presence of disorder and gas in the Bell, indicates metabolism heterofermentary bacteria [18].
Conservation Strains:
The purified strains must be retained, and according to the period of conservation, we can apply two
techniques:
Strains are preserved in the mid MRS or M17 in solid and Sterilized test tubes. After Plating and incubation
in the optimal conditions at 28C for 24 h, they were stored in the refrigerator at (4C) during three to four
weeks, then they are sub cultured to renew the conservation [14,17].
We have seeded the strains in a basic liquid medium. After incubation in optimal conditions, we have
centrifugal young culture in eppendorfs tubes at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes, then we added to red blood cells we
will obtain a mixture of skimmed milk with glycerol (70% skim milk and 30% glycerol), so we must keep it in
the freezer to (-20C) [17].
Determination of the bacteria growth in time function:
Determination of the bacteria growth in suspension in absence of clay:
To study the growth of bacteria, we began by preparing a young culture of each strain, that we have
standardized by using the method of Mc Farland with the standard solution 2.0 (at 620 nm the DO of the
bacterial suspension must be between 0.320 and 0.400), and it was then inoculated in tubes containing 10 ml of
culture medium (MRS liquid for the Lactobacillus fermentum, M17 Liquid for the Lactococcus diacetylactis
and Streptococcus thermophilus [1], and this by incubation in a Bain Marie respectively to 45, 30 and 37C for
24 hours. Mix 10 ml of each young culture to 100 ml of an appropriate culture medium, and after the
homogenization, we distribute the mixture in sterilized tubes (10 ml/tube), then we add to each tube 1 ml of
sterilized distilled water, incubate under agitation, the tubes for 24 hours and read the DO every 2 hours.
Determination of the growth of bacteria in suspension with the clay:
Repeat the process through replacing the distilled water by 1 ml of suspension sterile clay in the tubes, then
read it each 2 hours the DO at 620 nm, before and after centrifugation at 4000 rpm for 15 min, but the
supernatant and pellet were washed several times in sterilized distilled water to eliminate all bacteria not laid
down on the clay. We have also observed that the culture media and the suspension of the clay particles
obtained by sedimentation, are transparent to light, corresponding to a DO virtually zero to 620 nm.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Morphological features of the strains:
The macroscopic and microscopic characterizations serve basically for the identification of genus and
species type in some cases. In a solid media cultures of M17 and MRS, the lactic strains have given sometimes
lenticular and circulars colonies of small sizes of approximately 1 mm diameter, whitish or yellowish slightly, to
regular rim and smooth. In MRS liquid environment, they can grow better in depth, where the pressure of
oxygen is low. respecting the microscopic observation, we have remarked that the lactic strains are Gram+ , they
presented themselves in a form of cocci and bacilli, arranged to be in pairs are in bead chains more or less long,
like the Table 2.

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Table 2: Macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the retained strains.

Morphology,
cellular
Code
Aspect of the colony
Gram
arrangement
S1
White lenticular
+
small rod sticks isolated or in
short chains
S2
Lenticular creams
+
cocci, diplo, bead chains
S3
Lenticular creams
+
cocci, diplo, bead chains
Htr = Htrofermentation, Homo = Homofermentation

Catalase

Fermentative Type

Htro

Homo
Homo

By comparing the results obtained for morphological and biochemical characteristics of our lactic strains
with those described by some authors such as Stiles et Holzapfel [22]; Badis et al. [1]; Badis et al [2]; Behira et
al. [3]; Zineddine et al. [23]; Guessas et al. [9], Chahrour et al. [7]; Moulay et al. [18], Senouci et al. [21] we
have been able to re-identify our bacterial strains, as shown in the Table3.
Table 3: Different strains of the bacteria studied.
Code
bacterial strains
S1
Lactobacillus fermentum
S2
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis
S3
Streptococcus thermophilus

Kinetics of growth of bacteria in the culture medium with or without clay:

Growth of cells in the absence of clay:
The kinetics of growth of the studied strains in a suitable culture medium in the absence of clay particles,
are represented in Figure 1.

Time (h)

Fig. 1: Growth kinetic of strains in the absence of clay.

Our results shows that the strain S1 start the grow after 6th hour, whereas strains S2 and S3, reach their
stationary growth phases at 6th and 4th hour respectively.
Kinetics of growth of cells in the presence of clay:
In the presence of clay particles in suspension in the culture medium, some strains studied, their growth
rates are changed, as shown in Figure 2. Virtually no changes have been observed concerning the Strains S1 and
S3, but there was a clear change in the number increase of cells for strain S2, from an initial number of 40x106
cfu/ml to 85x107 cfu/ml after 24 hours of incubation. Probably the clay particles in suspension have played a
catalytic role in this change.

Fig. 2: Growth kinetics of strains in the presence of clay.

Time (h)

After centrifugation, the number of cells remaining in the supernatant of cultures in the presence of clay are
shown in Figure 3. The reading of the DO to 620 nm after 4 hours of incubation, indicates that the number of

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cells decreased in the supernatant for the three strains S1, S2 and S3 respectively to 107, 12x107 and 20x106
cfu/ml. It has been found that these numbers are virtually low for all strains, so they probably indicated a
mounting and/or a precipitation with clay.

Time (h)

Fig. 3: Growth kinetic of the strains in the supernatant culture.

However, in the pellet washed several times with sterile distilled water, increases in the number of bacterial
cells immobilized on the clay particles are shown in Figure 4, indicating that after 4 hours of incubation, the clay
was better able to fix the cells S2 and S3 strains, respectively up to 72x107 and 70x107 cfu / ml, whereas for
strain S1, the clay particles have fixed that 20x106 cfu / ml.

Time (h)

Fig. 4: Growth kinetic of the strains in the pellet.

Depending on Dommergues and Mangenot says (1970) the clay particles in suspension have negative
charges, but at the ends of their tax slips appear positive charges. Therefore it is possible that in addition to the
wetting properties of cell walls, and the accession between microbial cells of the studied strains and the clay
particles, are due to electrostatic forces between bacterial walls loaded negatively and the edges of the slips.
The bacterial adhesion on a surface can be described as a process in two steps: According to Bulard et al.
[5]; Bulad [6] the first step is physical, instant, and reversible: is the stage of attachment of bacteria on the
surface where the microorganisms will be able to accede to the surface by physicochemical connections
(depending on van der Waals, it is electrostatic interactions, or hydrophobic, when interactions are governed by
the entropy) and by interactions related to the Brownian motion (movements incessant and random in solution).
The second step is related to the physiology of bacteria (requiring connections created between the bacteria and
the surface during the step of attachment), from the point of view of chemical and cellular properties, it becomes
irreversible. It is the stage of adaptation of the bacterium to the surface. The bacterial adhesion is influenced by
many other factors. Among those, the nature of the surface from the point of view acido-basic, possible presence
of loads, that if they exist, they can play an important role in relation to ordinary forces, which are more low.
Another factor to take into account is the roughness of the surface: the irregularities of a surface, the presence of
holes and the increase of the porosity, this three factors can increase the number of bacteria adhering to the
surface.
Conclusion:
In this work we have carried out a re-identification of three different bacterial strains and we have studied
the possibility of Immobilizing on clay particles in suspension to make a complex bio sorbent. So the results
obtained, allow us to conclude that:

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the purification of the clay of Maghnia by sedimentation, has led to the recovery of a suspension of clay
particles with a size less than 2 m and with a concentration of 0.58 g/L;
the macroscopic, microscopic and biochemical characterizations, have led to the re-identification of a
studied isolated of lactic acid bacteria;
the clay particles immobilize better the Lactococcus diacetylactis and Streptococcus thermophilus up to
respectively 72x107 and 70x107 cfu/ml, and this after 4 hours of incubation, whereas the Lactobacillus
fermentum are with only 40x106 cfu/ml. We even have observed a strong increase in the growth of Lactococcus
diacetylactis in the presence of clay particles of Maghnia in suspension in the culture medium up to 85x107
cfu/ml after 16 hours of incubation' indicating a catalytic role of the clay.
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