TITLE:
Micro-environmentally Restricted Yeast Cell Growth within Ca-alginate Microbeads
AUTHORS:
Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic, Branko Bugarski, Branko Bugarski, Milenko Plavsic, Steva Levic, Ana Kalusevic, Viktor Nedovic
KEYWORDS:
Yeast Cells; Micro-environmental Restrictions; Ca-alginate Hydrogel Matrix; Structural Changes; Pattern of Volumetric Yeast Growth
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.4 No.10B,
October
21,
2013
ABSTRACT: Micro-environmental
restriction effects to yeast cell growth obtained within Ca-alginate microbeads
are considered. It is complex phenomenon influenced by: (1) relaxation of
expanded polymer network around the cellular clusters, (2) forces generated by
cell growth inside the beads and (3) interactions between solvent, network parts
and cells. The resulting effects are measured experimentally by estimating
volume of microbeads and yeast cell concentration as function of time of
cultivation. Comparative analysis of dynamics of cell growth and increase of
microbead volume through four regimes indicates that reversible and
irreversible local structural changes of Ca-alginate hydrogel induces
micro-environmental restrictions to cell growth. The mechanism of restrictions
includes both mechanical and electrostatic effects.