Potential of Enterococcus faecium LM5.2 for lipopeptide biosurfactant production and its effect on the growth of maize (Zea mays L.).

This study characterized the lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by lactic acid bacteria isolated from milk and milk products, in addition to their effect on maize plant growth. The oil displacement test was performed as a primary screening method to select the BS producing bacteria. The strain LM5.2 had the maximum emulsification index of 45.1 ± 3, reduced the surface tension to 32.98 ± 0.23% among all the isolates, and efficiently produced 945.26 ± 4.62 mg/l of biosurfactants within 48 h in MRS broth under the optimum conditions. The isolate LM5.2 was identified using physiochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing as E. faecium. The biosurfactant was purified by TLC and identified as lipopeptide-like iturins and surfactins based on Rf values. Mass spectroscopy, NMR, and FTIR analysis also confirmed the biosurfactant's identity as the derivatives of iturin and surfactin. In vitro biosurfactant application significantly enhanced seedling growth at an optimal concentration of 450 µg/ml. Plant treatment (pot experiment) with E. faecium LM5.2 significantly promoted Zea mays growth compared to the control. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of lipopeptide biosurfactant production by E. faecium. Moreover, the study also showed that the biosurfactant and biosurfactant-producing E. faecium LM5.2 could be an eco-friendly plant growth-promoting agent.