Bile salt hydrolase and cholesterol removal effect by Bifidobacterium bifidum NRRL 1976

Growing cells of Bifidobacterum bifidum NRRL 1976 exhibited an ability to remove cholesterol in the presence of bile salts. The cholesterol removal by Bifidobacterium bifidum was due to a co-precipitation together with unconjugated bile acids, which was linked to the bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity of the cells at pH values lower than 5.0 and the cholesterol removed was partially recovered when the cells were washed with phosphate buffer at pH 7, while the remaining cholesterol was extracted from the cells. It is concluded that the removal of cholesterol from the growth medium by Bifidobacterium bifidum strain is due to both bacterial assimilation and precipitation of cholesterol.