Obtaining viable Azospirillum brasilense SR80 cells encapsulated in alginate hydrogel

Abstract

Significant researches aimed at the greening of agro-industrial production are focused on obtaining immobilized bacterial preparations with preserved proliferative function and metabolic activity. Herein, we investigated the possibility of bacteria of the genus Azospirillum to be immobilized in Ca-alginate beads. A. brasilense SR80 cells, encapsulated in an alginate hydrogel, were obtained using the “soft” immobilization method based on physical binding. We demonstrated the retained respiratory activity and growth ability of the bacteria during immobilization, thus confirming the advantageous prospects of alginate templates for azospirilla encapsulation.