optimization of calcium alginate hydrogel bioencapsulation of acinetobacter junii b6, a lipopeptide biosurfactant producer

Background: biosurfactants are derived from microbes, plants, and animals. acinetobacter junii b6 is a lipopeptide biosurfactant producer previously investigated for its structure, physicochemical, and product aggregation properties. objectives: in this study, we investigated and optimized the bioencapsulation of a. junii b6 in calcium alginate hydrogel. methods: acinetobacter junii b6 was encapsulated using calcium alginate hydrogel. the formulation of the hydrogel was optimized using a full factorial approach. sodium alginate concentration, calcium chloride concentration, and hardening time were selected as the main factors, and surface tension was the response measure. a scanning electron microscope (sem) was used to study the bead’s morphology. results: scanning electron microscope image showed rounded and smooth beads. the most biosurfactant production and reduced surface tension (35.98 mn/m) were observed at concentrations of 1% calcium chloride, (1%) sodium alginate, and 15 minutes of hardening time. acinetobacter junii b6 can be encapsulated in alginate hydrogels producing biosurfactant at optimum experimental design. conclusions: this represents a practical method for optimizing the bioencapsulation of a. junii b6 to produce biosurfactants.