title: Preservation of immobilized bacterial cell-matrix by drying for direct use in microbial sensors.
abstract: A simple and effective method for the drying of immobilized bacterial cells to be used directly in a microbial biosensor for measurement of activity is reported. As a case example, plasmid-bearing cells of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP 134, DSM 4058 were immobilized on various carriers and liquid-dried. The dried cell-matrix was used directly after rehydration/reactivation as the biological component of a biosensor for determining the concentration of xenobiotic compounds in the environment. Good viability results were obtained after long-term storage and cells exhibited no loss of plasmids responsible for the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) degradation. The activity of the cells for 2,4-D was proved using a respiration electrode. No time-consuming, repeated cell cultivation and harvesting was required, as the cells preserved from a single batch served as a continuous source for activity measurements. Many other microbial cultures can be preserved by this method and the cells preserved in the form of immobilized dried cell-matrix can be used directly to perform enzymatic tests, complex biochemical conversions and for production in the reactors. The dried cell-matrix can serve as a stable interchangeable component for a multipurpose biosensor.
authors.affiliation: DSM-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zeilkulturen GmbH, Mascheroder Weg 1b, W-3300, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beyersdorf-Radeck
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Schmid