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An Overview of Microorganisms Immobilized in a Gel Structure for the Production of Precursors, Antibiotics, and Valuable Products

Summary

Scientists have developed methods to trap bacteria and fungi inside gel structures, similar to tiny capsules. These immobilized microorganisms can produce antibiotics and other useful medicines more efficiently and continuously than free-floating cells. The gel structures protect the cells, allow them to be reused multiple times, and reduce production costs, making medicine manufacturing faster and cheaper.

Background

The use of free microorganisms in industrial processes has limitations including extensive substrate consumption, sensitivity to environmental conditions, and difficulty in product separation. Immobilizing cells in matrix or support structures enhances enzyme stability, facilitates recycling, improves rheological properties, and lowers bioprocess costs.

Objective

This review summarizes various cell immobilization methods using synthetic and natural polymeric materials, discusses antibiotic production by different microbial strains, and explores the advantages of immobilized enzymes and cells over free microorganism suspensions for producing bioproducts, metabolites, and pharmaceuticals.

Results

The review documents improved production yields across multiple antibiotic classes. Examples include chlortetracycline titers reaching 3.8 g/L (38-fold increase), cephalosporin C production 7-fold higher with immobilized cells, and engineered penicillin acylase achieving 99% conversion efficiency. Immobilized enzyme reactors demonstrated superior stability and recycling capability.

Conclusion

Immobilization of microorganisms and enzymes in appropriate gel matrices significantly enhances production efficiency, stability, and cost-effectiveness for antibiotic and pharmaceutical production. The optimal immobilization strategy depends on selecting appropriate polymeric materials and process parameters for specific bioproducts and microbial strains.
  • Published in:Gels,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 39451299
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