FAQ

Due to its versatile nature, either whole or disintegrated microbial cells or free or pre-immobilised (e.g. cross-linked) enzymes can be encapsulated in the PVA carrier.

Potential growth of contamination is reduced mainly due to the fast process rate. This high reaction rate is a result of high concentrations of biomass inside the PVA matrix and consequently inside the reactor.

Operating stability of Lentikats Biocatalyst is defined by the stability of the encapsulated material. For example, the operating stability of Lentikats Biocatalyst with immobilised invertase enzyme ranges from 600 to 1,000 working hours. After that the enzymatic activity decreases and the Biocatalyst is replaced with a new, fully active one. In comparison to immobilised enzymes, Lentikats Biocatalysts with immobilised bacteria maintain their activity for months or even whole years.

Lentikats Biocatalyst is based on hydrogel, i.e. its water content ranges around 80 %. After its depletion, the Biocatalyst is usually dried and can be incinerated without posing any ecological threats or having any negative influence on the environment.

Due to the potential to immobilise any type of microorganism or enzyme, Lentikats Biotechnology can be applied within any enzyme- or bacteria-driven biotechnological process.

Within the field of food processing and pharmaceutical industries, Lentikats Biotechnology brings the most significant benefits in the processes driven by very expensive or highly unstable enzymes or microorganisms. Their encapsulation not only enables their repeated use and enhances the stability of these biomaterials, but also prevents undesired disintegration of the biological agglomerates. Also, Lentikats Biotechnology can present a sound solution in processes that take place in highly viscose media where a down-stream separation of free biomass would be simply too demanding or quite impossible in technical terms.

The costs associated with purchases, production or recycling of free biomass are dramatically reduced due to the possibility to use their encapsulated form (Lentikats Biocatalyst) for extended periods of time. At the same time, there is a significant reduction in the costs for the so-called “downstream processes”, such as biomass separation from the reaction media, waste management and disposal, etc.