EFFECT OF IMMOBILIZATION UPON THE PROPERTIES AND BEHAVIOR OF SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE CELLS

The destiny and behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SL 100 cells ent rapped for a long-term period (up to 5 years) in calcium alginate gel beads were studied. For the entire experimental time the calcium algin ate beads proved to be mechanically stable. In the course of this time , the beads were exposed to extreme conditions for living yeast cells being employed in long-term continuous cultivations and being stored i n water at 4-degrees-C or in 60% sucrose solution at 20-25-degrees-C. During long-term continuous anaerobic process (1100 h cultivation) per formed in a packed bed reactor on complete medium at 30-degrees-C, imm obilized cells retained high metabolic activity. It was further confir med that beads may be stored for a long time before application or bet ween cultivations, even longer than 1 year, without loosing glycolytic activity and viability. The metabolic activity was found in cells imm obilized in calcium alginate beads older than 5 years and having been stored for the entire time in 4-degrees-C water as nongrowing and star veling immobilized culture.