Dielectric Spectroscopy: a Rapid Method for the Determination of Solvent Biocompatibility During Biotransformations
- 1 January 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Biocatalysis
- Vol. 2 (4), 245-255
- https://doi.org/10.3109/10242428908992034
Abstract
Dielectric spectroscopy provides a convenient means of determining the degree of intactness of biological cells. 4-terminal dielectric measurements of suspensions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 0.4 MHz show that, as with all other biological cells, these organisms possess a substantial β-dispersion. The additional of octanol to such suspensions causes a rapid decrease in the electrical capacitance of the suspension, which parallels the cellular viability as determined by methylene blue staining. The kinetics of cell death are determined in part by the rate of dissolution of the organic solvent in the aqueous phase. The toxicity of several organic solvents to S. cerevisiae is studied using this technique, and is found to be dependent upon the polarity of the solvent. The present method provides a simple and rapid means for assessing the biocompatibility of solvents used in biotransformations.Keywords
This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit:
- Enzyme-catalysed reactions in non-aqueous mediaTrends in Biotechnology, 1988
- Dielectric permittivity of microbial suspensions at radio frequencies: a novel method for the real-time estimation of microbial biomassEnzyme and Microbial Technology, 1987
- Biocatalysis in multi-phase reaction mixtures containing organic liquidsBiotechnology Advances, 1987
- Aspects Of Biocatalyst Stability In Organic SolventsBiocatalysis, 1987
- Enzymatic reactions in organic solventsEndeavour, 1985
- On the dielectrically observable consequences of the diffusional motions of lipids and proteins in membranesEuropean Biophysics Journal, 1985
- Optimization of organic solvent in multiphase biocatalysisBiotechnology & Bioengineering, 1985
- Simultaneous conductivity and permittivity detector with a single cell for liquid chromatographyAnalytical Chemistry, 1984
- Enzymes in non-aqueous solventsEnzyme and Microbial Technology, 1979
- Dielectric properties of yeast cells: Effect of some ionic detergents on the plasma membranesThe Journal of Membrane Biology, 1977