Abstract
Cell immobilization in polymers have proven successful in protecting the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobium. This study evaluated the feasibility of using lignin to develop lignin–alginate beads with a starch additive to immobilize and release Rhizobial cells. A lignin–alginate hydrogel was synthesized and cultured at different concentrations with 1 ml inoculum of Rhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium leguminosarum to determine the hydrogel's compatibility with the Rhizobium spp. The Rhizobium cells (3 ml inoculum) were then entrapped into the lignin–alginate beads (ratio of 2 g lignin to 1 g alginate) with starch additive and their entrapment efficiency, cell release and surface morphology investigated. The results suggest concentration of the lignin–alginate hydrogel had no effect on the survival of Rhizobium cells with time. Dried lignin–alginate beads increased the survival of Rhizobium cells from 61% to 73% while dried lignin–alginate beads with starch additive increased the survival of Rhizobium cells from 61% to 84% compared to only alginate beads. Light microscopy suggests alginate beads lost their sphericity without lignin and starch additive while fixed SEM images highlighted Rhizobium cells attached to starch granules. Overall, the results indicate the potential applicability of lignin as a component for the manufacture of carrier materials for entrapping Rhizobial cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e53181 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Polymer Science |
| Volume | 139 |
| Issue number | 47 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 15 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Funding
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch‐Multistate, Grant/Award Numbers: 1002344, 1003563; National Institutes of Health; National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Grant/Award Number: P20GM103436; National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure; National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: ECCS‐1542164 Funding information This work is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch‐Multistate under 1002344 and 1003563. Special thanks to Dr. Tyler Barzee for his assistance with microscopy. Thank you to Anthony Vascotto and Ryan Sarhan for helping with data collection. Thanks to Can Liu for the technical discussions with aspects of the project. Thanks to Stepanie Kesnar for timely procurement of lab supplies and helping with general lab issues. Access to characterization instruments and staff assistance was provided by the Electron Microscopy Center at the University of Kentucky, member of the KY INBRE (Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Science (IDeA Grant P20GM103436) and of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation (ECCS‐1542164). The authors thank Dr. Nicolas Briot of the Electron Microscopy Center for his support with scanning electron microscopy and for his technical input. This work is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch-Multistate under 1002344 and 1003563. Special thanks to Dr. Tyler Barzee for his assistance with microscopy. Thank you to Anthony Vascotto and Ryan Sarhan for helping with data collection. Thanks to Can Liu for the technical discussions with aspects of the project. Thanks to Stepanie Kesnar for timely procurement of lab supplies and helping with general lab issues. Access to characterization instruments and staff assistance was provided by the Electron Microscopy Center at the University of Kentucky, member of the KY INBRE (Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Science (IDeA Grant P20GM103436) and of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation (ECCS-1542164). The authors thank Dr. Nicolas Briot of the Electron Microscopy Center for his support with scanning electron microscopy and for his technical input.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Hatch-Multistate | |
| OK-INBRE | |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch‐Multistate | |
| U.S. Department of Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment National Science Foundation National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center National Natural Science Foundation of China | ECCS‐1542164 |
| U.S. Department of Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment National Science Foundation National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center National Natural Science Foundation of China | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | |
| National Institute of General Medical Sciences | P20GM103436 |
| National Institute of General Medical Sciences | |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture | 1003563, 1002344 |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
| US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative | |
| University of Kentucky |
Keywords
- bio-based
- biopolymers and renewable polymers
- microbial immobilization
- morphology
- polymers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry
