Immobilization of microbial cells in a sol-gel matrix using a precursor with two non-hydrolyzed bonds

In this work, the yeast cells of Ogataea polymorpha BKM Y-2559 were immobilized in a organosilicon sol-gel membrane. It was shown that yeasts immobilized in a matrix containing 85 vol.% diethoxydimethylsilane (DEDMS) and 15 vol.% tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) have the highest activity. Long-term storage of the resulting biohybrid material at a temperature of –18 °С demonstrated that the low temperature does not lead to a drop in the catalytic activity of the immobilized yeast. Maintaining the activity of the yeast encapsulated in the sol-gel matrix is important in the production and storage of commercial biocomposite samples. The study of the structure of the obtained material showed that the yeast cells of Ogataea polymorpha are located in the sol-gel matrix and are not able to be washed out, while the substrates and metabolites can diffuse to the cells without restrictions through the pores in the material. Graphical Abstract