Abstract
“Is it possible to incorporate a living microorganism as a second phase in a man-made, engineered material?” In this preliminary study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been encapsulated in a transparent matrix of porous, gel-derived silica. After gelation, aging, and prolonged storage at 5°C, S. cerevisiae bioactivity could be triggered. Bioactivity was followed by evolution of alcohol within the S. cerevisiae as a function of time during incubation by the molecular probe molecule pyranine using fluoresence spectrophotometry. Described also are some of the potential applications of this new class of biocomposite material incorporating a “living” second phase.
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The assistance of Mr. A. Almazan in sample preparations is greatly appreciated.
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Pope, E.J.A. Gel encapsulated microorganisms: Saccharomyces cerevisiae—Silica gel biocomposites. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 4, 225–229 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00488377
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00488377