Abstract
The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a novel method for cell immobilization. Aureobasidium pullulans cells were mixed with an alginate solution, and the mixture was extruded to form small gel beads as hydrated-immobilized cells. The beads were then placed at -15 degrees C for 6-24 h to induce freeze-dehydration. The freeze-dehydration resulted in shrinkage of beads as a result of water removal reducing bead volume by 82% and bead weight by 85%. The dehydrated beads were successfully used for the production of fructo-oligosaccharides in a model reactor system. Dehydrated beads may provide some commercial advantages over conventional immobilized cells. This study shows that bioreactor performance can be improved up to two times by the use of the dehydrated beads.
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