Optimisation of initial cell concentration enhances freeze-drying tolerance of Pseudomonas chlororaphis

Optimisation of initial cell concentration enhances freeze-drying tolerance of Pseudomonas chlororaphis
August 2003
By Johan Palmfeldt, Peter R?dstr?m and B?rbel Hahn-H?gerdal
Cryobiology, Volume 47, Issue 1, August 2003, Pages 21-29
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Abstract
The freeze-drying tolerance of Pseudomonas chlororaphis, an antifungal bacterium used as biocontrol agent was investigated. P. chlororaphis is freeze-drying sensitive and the viability drops more than 3 log units in the absence of protective freeze-drying medium. Of the freeze-drying media tested, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, glutamate, sucrose with glutamate, skimmed milk, and skimmed milk with trehalose, skimmed milk gave the lowest survival (0.6 ? 0.2%) and sucrose the highest (6.4 ? 1.2%). Cellular accumulation of sucrose from the freeze-drying medium and the protective effect of sucrose were dependent on sucrose concentration. The effect of initial cell concentration, from 1 ? 107 to 5 ? 1010 CFU/ml, on survival after freeze-drying was studied for carbon starved cells with sucrose as freeze-drying medium. The highest freeze-drying survival values, 15?25%, were obtained for initial cell concentrations between 1 ? 109 and 1 ? 1010 CFU/ml. For cell concentrations outside this window more than 10 times lower survival values were observed. P. chlororaphis was cultivated to induce stress response that could confer protection against freeze-drying inactivation. Carbon starvation and, to a lesser extent, heat treatment enhanced freeze-drying tolerance. By combining optimal cell concentration, optimal sucrose concentration and carbon starvation the survival after freeze-drying was 26 ? 6%.