Dried Cell-Immobilized Beads for Stable Allulose Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cell immobilized beads using alginic acid are prone to rot and lose activity due to microbial contamination and weak binding forces, especially in moist environments, making storage and distribution challenging, and their activity is limited by pH and temperature.
Innovation Solution
Drying the beads to a moisture content of 14% or less, using alginic acid or its salts as carriers, and immobilizing Microbacterium sp. cells with heat treatment, followed by restoration with water or fructose solution to maintain allulose conversion activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cell immobilized beads are stored in a moist environment, then they maintain their initial conversion activity, but they become rotten due to microbial contamination and lose activity rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes water from the cell immobilized beads through drying processes, extracting the harmful moist environment that enables microbial growth. The beads are dried to reduce water activity below the threshold for microbial contamination while maintaining structural integrity and conversion activity through proper drying conditions and protective coatings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of water in the beads from liquid to bound/removed state by controlling moisture content and water activity parameters. Through controlled drying at specific temperatures and humidities, the beads achieve a stable dry state that prevents microbial growth while preserving enzymatic activity through appropriate protective measures.
2Reliability
If alginic acid beads are used as carriers, then cells can be stably immobilized, but the binding force weakens near pH 7 and at high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines alginic acid with other materials to create composite bead structures that maintain the beneficial immobilization properties of alginic acid while compensating for its weaknesses. The composite structure provides enhanced stability across broader pH and temperature ranges through synergistic interactions between different materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the chemical and physical parameters of the alginic acid carrier, including cross-linking density, molecular weight, and composition ratios, to enhance stability. By adjusting these parameters, the beads maintain strong binding forces across a wider pH and temperature range while preserving cell immobilization effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If beads are dried to remove water for storage, then storage and distribution become easier, but conversion activity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes drying parameters including temperature, humidity, and duration to achieve the maximum water removal while minimizing damage to conversion activity. By carefully controlling these parameters, the beads reach an optimal moisture content that enables easy storage and distribution while preserving sufficient enzymatic activity for effective conversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies protective measures before drying, such as adding protective agents or modifying the bead structure in advance, to prevent irreversible damage during the drying process. These preliminary actions ensure that when water is removed for storage, the conversion activity is preserved through pre-established protective mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dried beads exhibit high storage stability and thermal stability, maintaining 60-94% of their initial activity for 38 weeks at 25°C and 50% at 60°C, with increased production efficiency and ease of storage and distribution.
Implementation Method 1
Since alginic acid easily forms a hydrogel, it is often used as a carrier (bead), and particularly, it is often used for the immobilization of enzymes and cells.
Implementation Method 2
immobilizing Microbacterium sp. cells with heat treatment
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to cell immobilized beads and a method for preparing the same and, more specifically, to cell-immobilized beads wherein the conversion activity of cells contained in the immobilized beads is excellent and wherein the conversion activity is maintained even during distribution and storage processes, a method for preparing the cell-immobilized beads, and a use of the conversion activity of the beads.