Biocatalysis and enzyme technology represent significant research topics of contemporary biotechnology. The immobilisation of these catalysts on or in static supports serves the purpose of transforming the catalyst into a particle that can be handled through effortless mechanical operations, while the entrapment within a membrane or capsule leads to the restraint of the enzyme to a distinct space. This confinement leads to a catalyst with a superior stability, and cell durability under reaction conditions. Epoxide hydrolase is a widely available co-factor independent enzyme, which is known to have remarkable chemio-, regio- and stereoselectivity for a wide range of substrates. Recently it was found that certain yeasts, including Rhodosporidium toruloides, contain this enzyme and are able to enantioselectively catalyse certain hydrolysis reactions. The objective of this project was four-sided: a) to immobilise Rhodospridium toruloides in an optimised immobilisation matrix (calcium alginate beads), for the kinetic resolution of 1.2- epoxyoctane in order to obtain an optically pure epoxide and its corresponding vicinal diol, b) to determine the effect of immobilisation on activity as well as stability of the enzyme and gain better understanding of the parameters that influence enzyme activity in a support, c) to determine the effect of formulation parameters on some of the bead characteristics and, d) to gain some insight in the distribution of epoxide and diol in the water and bead phases and the formulation parameters that have an effect thereon. Rhodospridium toruloides was immobilised in calcium alginate beads consisting of different combinations of alginate and CaCl2 concentrations. Best results were obtained with a combination of 0,5 % (m/v) alginate and 0,2 M CaC12. The immobilised cells exhibited lower initial activity. but more than 40 times the residual activity of that of the free cells after a 12-hour storage period. Both the immobilised and free cells exhibited an increase in reaction rate (V) with an increase in substrate concentration. An increase in the alginate concentration lead to the formation of smaller beads, but a decrease in enzume activity, while an increase in the CaCl2 solution concentration had no effect on bead diameter or enzyme activity. Epoxide diffused preferentially into the beads (± 96 %), and the diol into the water phase, which leads to the natural separation of the epoxide and the diol. The CaCl2 concentration affected epoxide diffusion with no effect on diol diffusion, which opens up the possibility to regulate the diffusion of epoxide into the beads. Although only a very small fraction of the epoxide inside the beads could be extracted, the alginate proved to be chirally selective for the (R)-epoxide, improving the reaction efficiency by increasing the % ee, of the epoxide extracted from the beads between 26 % and 43 %. The possibility to develop a system where the product is formed, purified and concentrated in a one-step reaction by extracting the product from the bead phase was clearly demonstrated. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharm.) (Pharmaceutical Chemistry))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003.

Delivery of a desired ‘active’ compound (for example, starch (as an energy substrate)) to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is most easily achieved by oral administration. Unfortunately, the efficacy of most actives is greatly reduced due to the aggressive nature of digestive enzymes and processes which occur in this environment. A commonly applied strategy to prevent deactivation of the active prior to absorption at the target site is to encapsulate the active in another ‘sacrificial’ or non-degradable polymer matrix. Traditionally, the active and matrix is processed into a microparticle format for easy oral delivery (dispersed in a liquid or paste). However, established encapsulation methods which rely on bulk-phase processing to produce these microparticles (e.g. emulsification) are far from ideal as they lack control over the final microparticle size, size distribution, composition and shape. The lack of control in the physical properties of the resultant microparticles in turn results in an inherent lack of control over the kinetics of release of the active at the target site. In contrast, recent advances in microfluidic device fabrication and methodology development have firmly proven that these new generation devices can produce monodisperse droplets and microparticles in a continuous, controllable and predictable manner. Their potential as a processing tool for the production of highly tailored microparticles for targeted delivery, however, remains to be fully explored. Both the physical and chemical (physicochemical) properties of microparticles made from a single polymer system may be altered by the deposition of one or more additional polymer layers onto the microparticle surface (for example, alternating layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes to produce core-shell like particles), and this method has proven to be favorable with regards to retarding the release of active compounds. However, this addition of alternate layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (so called Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition or assembly) does increase the number of processing steps the particles must undergo prior to storage or delivery. Further, the overall effectiveness of this additional processing is still highly dependent on the properties of the original (core) microparticles. In this thesis, a microfluidic technique was developed to encapsulate starch granules in alginate-based microparticles. Using this continuous technique, the size of the microparticles produced were shown to be monodisperse and reproducible. The developed microfluidic device included a drop formation section, followed by a gelation region and a transfer section, where the particles made on-chip are transferred from the carrier oil phase to an aqueous phase prior to collection. The microparticles collected from this microfluidic device were found to be stable for several weeks and in stark contrast to particles produced via a standard bulk emulsification routes, no aggregation was observed over this time frame. The release profile of glucose (as a result of starch hydrolysation) from microparticles produced using both a standard bulk emulsification method and the developed microfluidic-based method were compared. It was found that the monodisperse particles produced using the microfluidic method showed significantly more retardation to release compared to the glucose release profile from bulk-processed particles. This retardation effect was more pronounced when a thin layer of an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte (chitosan) was adsorbed onto the negatively charged surface (alginate is an anionic polyelectrolyte) of the microfluidic-processed microparticle. The microfluidic device developed within this thesis and the resulting tailored microparticles thus show significant potential with regards to offering a new generation of microparticle delivery systems with highly deterministic delivery over extended lifetimes.

Delivery of a desired ‘active’ compound (for example, starch (as an energy substrate)) to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is most easily achieved by oral administration. Unfortunately, the efficacy of most actives is greatly reduced due to the aggressive nature of digestive enzymes and processes which occur in this environment. A commonly applied strategy to prevent deactivation of the active prior to absorption at the target site is to encapsulate the active in another ‘sacrificial’ or non-degradable polymer matrix. Traditionally, the active and matrix is processed into a microparticle format for easy oral delivery (dispersed in a liquid or paste). However, established encapsulation methods which rely on bulk-phase processing to produce these microparticles (e.g. emulsification) are far from ideal as they lack control over the final microparticle size, size distribution, composition and shape. The lack of control in the physical properties of the resultant microparticles in turn results in an inherent lack of control over the kinetics of release of the active at the target site. In contrast, recent advances in microfluidic device fabrication and methodology development have firmly proven that these new generation devices can produce monodisperse droplets and microparticles in a continuous, controllable and predictable manner. Their potential as a processing tool for the production of highly tailored microparticles for targeted delivery, however, remains to be fully explored. Both the physical and chemical (physicochemical) properties of microparticles made from a single polymer system may be altered by the deposition of one or more additional polymer layers onto the microparticle surface (for example, alternating layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes to produce core-shell like particles), and this method has proven to be favorable with regards to retarding the release of active compounds. However, this addition of alternate layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (so called Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition or assembly) does increase the number of processing steps the particles must undergo prior to storage or delivery. Further, the overall effectiveness of this additional processing is still highly dependent on the properties of the original (core) microparticles. In this thesis, a microfluidic technique was developed to encapsulate starch granules in alginate-based microparticles. Using this continuous technique, the size of the microparticles produced were shown to be monodisperse and reproducible. The developed microfluidic device included a drop formation section, followed by a gelation region and a transfer section, where the particles made on-chip are transferred from the carrier oil phase to an aqueous phase prior to collection. The microparticles collected from this microfluidic device were found to be stable for several weeks and in stark contrast to particles produced via a standard bulk emulsification routes, no aggregation was observed over this time frame. The release profile of glucose (as a result of starch hydrolysation) from microparticles produced using both a standard bulk emulsification method and the developed microfluidic-based method were compared. It was found that the monodisperse particles produced using the microfluidic method showed significantly more retardation to release compared to the glucose release profile from bulk-processed particles. This retardation effect was more pronounced when a thin layer of an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte (chitosan) was adsorbed onto the negatively charged surface (alginate is an anionic polyelectrolyte) of the microfluidic-processed microparticle. The microfluidic device developed within this thesis and the resulting tailored microparticles thus show significant potential with regards to offering a new generation of microparticle delivery systems with highly deterministic delivery over extended lifetimes.

Delivery of a desired ‘active’ compound (for example, starch (as an energy substrate)) to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is most easily achieved by oral administration. Unfortunately, the efficacy of most actives is greatly reduced due to the aggressive nature of digestive enzymes and processes which occur in this environment. A commonly applied strategy to prevent deactivation of the active prior to absorption at the target site is to encapsulate the active in another ‘sacrificial’ or non-degradable polymer matrix. Traditionally, the active and matrix is processed into a microparticle format for easy oral delivery (dispersed in a liquid or paste). However, established encapsulation methods which rely on bulk-phase processing to produce these microparticles (e.g. emulsification) are far from ideal as they lack control over the final microparticle size, size distribution, composition and shape. The lack of control in the physical properties of the resultant microparticles in turn results in an inherent lack of control over the kinetics of release of the active at the target site. In contrast, recent advances in microfluidic device fabrication and methodology development have firmly proven that these new generation devices can produce monodisperse droplets and microparticles in a continuous, controllable and predictable manner. Their potential as a processing tool for the production of highly tailored microparticles for targeted delivery, however, remains to be fully explored. Both the physical and chemical (physicochemical) properties of microparticles made from a single polymer system may be altered by the deposition of one or more additional polymer layers onto the microparticle surface (for example, alternating layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes to produce core-shell like particles), and this method has proven to be favorable with regards to retarding the release of active compounds. However, this addition of alternate layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (so called Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition or assembly) does increase the number of processing steps the particles must undergo prior to storage or delivery. Further, the overall effectiveness of this additional processing is still highly dependent on the properties of the original (core) microparticles. In this thesis, a microfluidic technique was developed to encapsulate starch granules in alginate-based microparticles. Using this continuous technique, the size of the microparticles produced were shown to be monodisperse and reproducible. The developed microfluidic device included a drop formation section, followed by a gelation region and a transfer section, where the particles made on-chip are transferred from the carrier oil phase to an aqueous phase prior to collection. The microparticles collected from this microfluidic device were found to be stable for several weeks and in stark contrast to particles produced via a standard bulk emulsification routes, no aggregation was observed over this time frame. The release profile of glucose (as a result of starch hydrolysation) from microparticles produced using both a standard bulk emulsification method and the developed microfluidic-based method were compared. It was found that the monodisperse particles produced using the microfluidic method showed significantly more retardation to release compared to the glucose release profile from bulk-processed particles. This retardation effect was more pronounced when a thin layer of an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte (chitosan) was adsorbed onto the negatively charged surface (alginate is an anionic polyelectrolyte) of the microfluidic-processed microparticle. The microfluidic device developed within this thesis and the resulting tailored microparticles thus show significant potential with regards to offering a new generation of microparticle delivery systems with highly deterministic delivery over extended lifetimes.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-219).

University, Diss., 1998--Braunschweig.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2005

Essen, Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--Duisburg.

Submitted by Geise Jesus (geise.crj@gmail.com) on 2018-04-17T00:23:24Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação-Geise Cristina de Jesus.pdf: 1627240 bytes, checksum: cd3bd55063ba96f48854e00923ac8b0e (MD5) Carta comprovante.pdf: 353788 bytes, checksum: 3b2d5be6eb455c3a33e7fb4ae9adcc11 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Alini Demarchi (ri.bar@ufscar.br) on 2018-07-10T12:57:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação-Geise Cristina de Jesus.pdf: 1627240 bytes, checksum: cd3bd55063ba96f48854e00923ac8b0e (MD5) Carta comprovante.pdf: 353788 bytes, checksum: 3b2d5be6eb455c3a33e7fb4ae9adcc11 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Alini Demarchi (ri.bar@ufscar.br) on 2018-07-10T12:58:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação-Geise Cristina de Jesus.pdf: 1627240 bytes, checksum: cd3bd55063ba96f48854e00923ac8b0e (MD5) Carta comprovante.pdf: 353788 bytes, checksum: 3b2d5be6eb455c3a33e7fb4ae9adcc11 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-17T18:54:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação-Geise Cristina de Jesus.pdf: 1627240 bytes, checksum: cd3bd55063ba96f48854e00923ac8b0e (MD5) Carta comprovante.pdf: 353788 bytes, checksum: 3b2d5be6eb455c3a33e7fb4ae9adcc11 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Among the main industrial wastewaters, sugarcane vinasse figures as an actual environmental concern, due to its polluting potential and large volumes available, about 10 liters per liter of ethanol. Considering the alternatives to vinasse disposal, fertirrigation is the most commonly used. However, it is currently being questioned due to its effects on the soil and on groundwaters, caused by nutrient lixiviation such as potassium. The application of immobilized microalgae for wastewater treatment with emphasis on the removal of nutrients has increased over the last years. The aim of this study was to develop uniform alginate and pectin beads for immobilization of Desmodesmus subspicatus and evaluate its growth and ability to carbon, nitrogen and potassium removal in vinasse. The process parameters of bead production, type and concentration of biopolymer (alginate 1, 2, and 3% w/v and pectin 5, 7 and 10% w/v) and crosslinking agent concentration (calcium chloride 2, 5 and 10% w/v), were varied in order to evaluate their influence on bead characteristics. Results indicated that stable alginate and pectin beads were produced and according to the preliminary particle characterization, concentrations of 2% alginate and 7% pectin were chosen for immobilization of D. subspicatus and growth in vinasse. Immobilized D. subspicatus showed cellular growth in vinasse, with maximum specific rates of 0.009 h-1 and 0.002 h-1 in alginate and pectin beads, respectively. In the tests performed with 2% alginate, the immobilized microalgae reached 42, 49 and 48% carbon; 34, 35 and 34% nitrogen and 22, 23 and 32% potassium removal; and for pectin 7%, the removals were 32, 39 and 41% for carbon; 11, 24 and 34% for nitrogen and 39, 36 and 35% for potassium, for 2, 5 and 10% of calcium chloride, respectively. The microalgae were able to grow and remove appreciable amounts of nutrients from the vinasse. Compared with the free microalgae cultivation, immobilized microalgae indicate good prospects for the use of nutrient removal from vinasse. / A vinhaça é considerada a principal água residuária do setor sucroalcooleiro, sendo obtida pela destilação alcoólica do vinho para a obtenção do etanol. Considerando as alternativas para sua disposição, a fertirrigação na cultura da cana-de-açúcar é a mais utilizada. No entanto, o seu uso deve ser cauteloso, uma vez que em excesso pode culminar na contaminação dos lençóis freáticos, acarretando problemas ambientais. A aplicação de microalgas imobilizadas no tratamento de águas residuárias com ênfase principalmente na remoção de nutrientes tem aumentado nos últimos anos. Quanto aos métodos de imobilização celular, o sistema de encapsulamento em matrizes de macromoléculas como alginato e pectina vem despertando interesse devido às suas características de biodegradabilidade, biocompatibilidade e não toxicidade. Neste contexto, o objetivo do trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de esferas de alginato e de pectina para a imobilização da microalga Desmodesmus subspicatus, assim como a avaliação do seu crescimento e habilidade na remoção de carbono, nitrogênio e potássio da vinhaça. Os parâmetros do processo de produção das esferas, tais como tipo e concentração de biopolímero (alginato 1, 2, e 3% m/v e pectina 5, 7 e 10% m/v) e concentração de reticulante (cloreto de cálcio 2, 5 e 10% m/v) foram estudados quanto a sua influência nas características das esferas. Os resultados indicaram a obtenção de esferas estáveis de alginato e de pectina e, de acordo com os testes, optou-se por utilizar alginato 2% e pectina 7% para imobilização da D. subspicatus e seu cultivo na vinhaça. A microalga D. subspicatus imobilizada apresentou crescimento celular em vinhaça, com velocidades específicas máximas de 0,009 h-1, e 0,002 h-1 em esferas de alginato e de pectina, respectivamente. Nos ensaios realizados com alginato 2%, a microalga imobilizada atingiu remoções de 42, 49 e 48% de carbono; 34, 35 e 34% de nitrogênio e 22, 23,2 e 31,6% de potássio; e para a pectina 7%, as remoções foram de 32, 39 e 41% para carbono; 11, 24 e 34% para nitrogênio e 39,2, 35,8 e 35,2% para potássio para 2, 5 e 10% de cloreto de cálcio, respectivamente. Os resultados demonstraram a viabilidade do cultivo desta microalga, assim como a capacidade de remoção de compostos da vinhaça.

Orientador: Crispin Humberto Garcia-Cruz / Banca: Eleni Gomes / Banca: José Roberto Ernandes / Banca: Mário Antônio Alves da Cunha / Banca: Vanildo Luiz Del Bianchi / Resumo: Atualmente a destinação do lixo é uma das grandes preocupações da organização urbana e os problemas ambientais causados pela produção e acúmulo de materiais plásticos de origem petroquímica têm incentivado muitos países a realizarem estudos de gerenciamento do volume de lixo sólido, incluindo a diminuição de resíduos plásticos por meio do desenvolvimento de bioplásticos. Os bioplásticos possuem propriedades semelhantes às dos plásticos convencionais e apresentam a vantagem de serem facilmente degradados pela ação de microrganismos no ambiente, podendo citar como exemplo os poli-hidroxialcanoatos (PHA), dentre eles o poli-hidroxibutirato (PHB). Estes polímeros podem representar até 80% da massa seca total da célula, tendo como característica principal a biodegradabilidade em solos e a biocompatibilidade com o tecido animal. Entre os microrganismos produtores de PHAs, a bactéria Azotobacter vinelandii pode acumular grandes quantidades de PHB intracelular com a vantagem de utilizar durante seu crescimento uma ampla variedade de açúcares como os encontrados em melaço de cana-de-açúcar, beterraba e xarope de milho, além de resíduos da suinocultura, agroindustriais, etc. Além do PHB, a bactéria A. vinelandii é capaz de produzir alginato, composto muito empregado na área de análogos de frutas ou produtos tipo imitação como: fatias de pimentão para recheios de azeitonas, imitação de anéis de cebola, imitações de caviar, carne, pescados, produtos marinhos, etc. Tendo em vista que os principais fatores limitantes para a produção de biopolímeros estão associados, principalmente, com os custos dos substratos e ao fato de que muitos microrganismos são patogênicos dificultando a sua aceitação pela comunidade em geral, este trabalho teve como objetivo utilizar... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Currently, the waste disposal is a major concern of urban organization and the environmental problems caused by production and accumulation of petrochemical plastics have encouraged many countries to management studies of the solid waste volume, including the waste plastics reduction through the bioplastics development. Bioplastics have similar properties to conventional plastics and the advantage of being easily degraded by the microorganisms action in the environment, for example, poly-hydroxyalcanoatos (PHA), including poly-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). These polymers can represent up to 80% of total dry mass of the cell, having as main feature the biodegradability in soil and the biocompatibility with animal tissue. Among the microorganisms producing PHAs, the bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii can accumulate large amounts of intracellular PHB with the advantage that they grow a wide sugars variety like those found in molasses cane sugar, beet sugar and corn syrup, and swine waste, agribusiness, etc.. Besides the PHB, the bacterium A. vinelandii is able to produce alginate, a very useful compound in the similar area of type of fruit and imitation as sliced peppers for stuffing olives, onion rings imitation, caviar, meat, fish and marine products imitation, etc.. Given that the main limiting factors for the biopolymers production are mainly associated with the substrates costs and the fact that many microorganisms are pathogenic hindering its acceptance by the community in general, this study aimed to use the pollutant by-products environment (residual oil frying, glycerin, cassava wastewater - "manipueira", vinasse and wastewater industry carbonated beverages or soft drinks) as a substrate for the poly-hydroxybutyrate and alginate production by non-pathogenic bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii. Fermentations... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor