EFFECT OF GELATION TEMPERATURE AND GEL-DISSOLVING SOLUTION ON CELL VIABILITY AND RECOVERY OF 2 PSEUDOMONAS-PUTIDA STRAINS CO-IMMOBILIZED WITHIN CALCIUM ALGINATE OR K-CARRAGEENAN GEL BEADS

Since a lethal effect of an increased temperature (42 degrees C) on Ps eudomonas putida strains PaW8 and PaW130 was demonstrated, strictly io notropic gels such as calcium alginate or kappa-carrageenan type X 090 9 were used for cell co-immobilization, rather than a thermionotropic kappa-carrageenan gel. Among the variety of gel-dissolving solutions t ested, only a 0.05M Na2CO3/0.02M citric acid solution was able to pres erve around 100 % of the cell viability. A complete cell recovery was obtained from calcium alginate gel beads, while only 6 % of viable cel ls was recovered from the ionotropic kappa-carrageenan gel.