Abstract
Whole cell bacteria have been entrapped within sol-gel silica matrices in order to perform bio-catalytic experiments. Escherichia coli have been chosen as a model for sol-gel encapsulation. Transmission electron microscopy shows that bacteria are randomly dispersed within the silica matrix and that their cellular organization is preserved. The β-galactosidase activity of entrapped E. coli was studied using p-NPG as a substrate. The formation of p-nitrophenol was followed by optical absorption. These experiments show that E. coli still exhibit noticeable enzymatic activity after encapsulation in wet gels. They follow the well known Michaelis-Menten kinetic law but their activity decreases in dried xerogels.
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Fennouh, S., Guyon, S., Livage, J. et al. Sol-Gel Entrapment of Escherichia coli. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology 19, 647–649 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008733916175
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008733916175