Evaluation of microencapsulation of the UFV-AREG1 bacteriophage in alginate-Ca microcapsules using microfluidic devices

Abstract

A B S TR A C TThe indiscriminate use of antibiotics and the emergence of resistant microorganisms have become a major challenge for the food industry. The purpose of this work was to microencapsulate the bacteriophage UFV-AREG1 in a calcium alginate matrix using microfluidic devices and to study the viability and efficiency of retention. The microcapsules were added to gel of propylene glycol for use as an antimicrobial in the food industry. The technique showed the number of the phage encapsulation, yielding drops with an average 100-250 µm of diameter, 82.1 ± 2% retention efficiency and stability in the gel matrix for 21 days. The gel added to the microencapsulated phage showed efficiency (not detectable on the surface) in reducing bacterial contamination on the surface at a similar level to antimicrobial chemicals (alcohol 70%). Therefore, it was possible to microencapsulate bacteriophages in alginate-Ca and apply the microcapsules in gels for use as sanitizers in the food industry.

Comparative analysis of different preservation techniques for the storage of Staphylococcus phages aimed for the industrial development of phage-based antimicrobial products

“…In spite of this, their higher resistance to environmental conditions might compensate for these drawbacks. A variant of the microencapsulation technique, using microfluidic devices, has been recently used to produce calcium alginate capsules containing the bacteriophage UFV-AREG1, which is applied in the sanitization of food surfaces [ 14 ]. Similarly, this technique was used for encapsulation of the Clostridium difficile bacteriophage CDKM9 intended for treatment of colon diseases [ 48 ].…”

“…Moreover, oral administration of phages requires enhanced resistance to the harsh gastric conditions, which have been solved by microencapsulation of phages in polymeric matrices such as alginate and pectin [ 12 , 13 ]. Microencapsulation has been recently proposed for obtaining microcapsules containing phages that, once added to a propylene glycol gel, could be used as sanitizers in the food industry [ 14 ]. This study concluded that bacteriophage susceptibility to storage and processing conditions differs among phages.…”

Microfluidic Encapsulation of Hydrophobic Antifouling Biocides in Calcium Alginate Hydrogels for Controllable Release

“…The weight fraction of aqueous solution in this emulsion was set as 0.26. The formulation of the materials other than the drug and fibers was based on our previous work, 34 while we set the concentrations of the drug and fibers so that they would not clog the tubes and microchannels. The flow rates of the continuous phase ( Q c ), disperse phase ( Q d ), and emulsion phase ( Q e ) in all experiments were set at 2.0, 0.1, and 20.0 mL/h, respectively.…”

Development of a Triple-Coaxial Flow Device for Fabricating a Hydrogel Microtube and Its Application to Bioremediation

“…In our previous work, we proposed a microbial culture system with hydrogel microtubes, as shown in Figure 1 [ 8 ]. The hydrogel tubes are made of calcium alginate, and have pores that are larger than nutrients and oxygen, but smaller than microbes and bacteriophages [ 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, the hydrogel microtubes prevent microbes from passing through the walls while permitting the diffusion of oxygen and nutrients.…”