| Abstract: | Whole E. coli bacteria have been trapped within silica gels obtained via the acidification of sodium silicate and silica nanoparticles solutions. Their  -galactosidase enzymatic activity increases with time, suggesting that their membrane is partially lysed during the encapsulation process. Such a lysis can be greatly reduced when encapsulation is performed in the presence of gelatin. The biocatalytic activity of trapped bacteria remains almost constant for more than a week. Moreover bacteria trapped in such gels remain able to incorporate glucose, showing that their viability has been preserved. |
