Microfluidic Production of Hydrogel Beads with Yeast Cells for Metabolic Activity Studies and Storing

Abstract

This work presents the development of a microfluidic platform for the production of hydrogel beads, allowing for the simultaneous encapsulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells. Using this microfluidic device, monodisperse droplets of a photoreactive copolymer (DMAA-MABP-SSNa) were generated, which, upon UV irradiation (λ =365 nm), formed stable beads of approximately 1000 µm with a homogeneous size distribution. The metabolic activity of the encapsulated yeast was evaluated through glucose consumption, and their viability and storage capacity were compared against free cells (suspension cultures) at 4 °C and 30 °C for 15 days. Hydrogel beads with the highest polymer concentration (150 mg/mL) maintained over 50% cell viability after 15 days at 4 °C, whereas the viability of free cells declined within a few days. Furthermore, the use of these hydrogel beads significantly reduced the turbidity of the fermentation medium compared to free cells, achieving a Relative Metabolic Efficiency Index (RMEI) of 0.341. The obtained results position this platform as a robust and versatile alternative for cell storage without refrigeration, and for its use in fermentative bioreactors within the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.