A NEW MULTINOZZLE ENCAPSULATION SYSTEM FOR THE LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF UNIFORM ALGINATE BEADS

Abstract: Purpose of study: Over the past 20 years, cell microencapsulation technology has made a great progress in cell culture, artificial cell therapy, artificial organs in vitro and bioconversion. But, most of researches in preparation of microencapsulation based on the high voltage electrostatic technique are limited to the scope of the laboratory. To bring this technology into the clinic, it is great important to find a proper way for large scale preparation of biological microcapsule in a short time. Therefore, we develop a new 19-nozzles system for the encapsulation of cells. Methods: In this paper, calcium alginate gel beads were prepared through microcapsule preparation system under forced high-voltage electrostatic field developed in our lab designed with a 19-nozzle system for the encapsulation and immobilization of microorganisms, enzymes or cells. The effect of operation parameters on the large-scale preparation of gel beads was analyzed. The parameters included the applied potential (U) , the distribution of electrostatic field , the frequency and the flow rate of solution through the capillary. Results and Conclusions : The results show that the air pressure of feed is the decisive factor on the size and yield of gel beads, and the size distribution is dependent on several factors including the distribution of electric field, pulse potential, air pressure of feed, pulse frequency, pulse width and threshold potential etc. Therefore, the monodisperse calcium alginate beads in the range of 0.2–4 mm were produced under sterile and reproducible conditions. The gel beads with good sphericity, smooth surface and low dispersivity (CV