Stefan Alessandra, Palazzo Gerardo, Ceglie Andrea, Panzavolta Eleonora, Hochkoeppler Alejandro
Department of Industrial Chemistry, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy.
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2003 Feb 5;81(3):323-8. doi: 10.1002/bit.10476.
Extremely stable water-in-oil macroemulsions have been obtained by dispersing water in isooctane in the presence of lecithin. Either prokaryotic (Escherichia coli) and eukaryotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodotorula minuta) cells hosted in these water-in-oil macroemulsions are viable for weeks despite the consistent excess of organic solvent (ranging from 70 to 84%, v/v) in these ternary systems. Conjugation occurs upon mixing macroemulsions containing F(+) or F(-) Escherichia coli strains, indicating consistent mass transfer between the water droplets. Populations of yeasts hosted in water-in-oil macroemulsion feature a higher frequency of cells aggregation when compared with the corresponding populations suspended in homogeneous aqueous media.
