124
Views
15
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Novel solvent-based method for preparation of alginate beads with improved roundness and predictable size

, &
Pages 865-876 | Received 08 Feb 2004, Accepted 10 Aug 2004, Published online: 03 Oct 2008
 

Abstract

Attempts to determine conditions or processes within alginate gel beads often suffer from inaccuracies due to an improper roundness of the analysed beads. Therefore, a novel solvent-based method for the preparation of alginate beads with improved shape was developed: An aqueous solution of 2% (w/v) alginate in water was injected into a solvent layering consisting of hexane, n-butanol, n-butanol with 1% (w/v) CaCl2 and finally 2% (w/v) CaCl2 in water. Beads of up to 3.5 mm in diameter obtained with this method had a roundness which was ∼5% better than comparable beads prepared by dropping an alginate solution into a CaCl2-hardening bath. This was determined by a software supported quantitative analysis of bead size and shape. Additionally, the novel solvent-based method allows for highly reproducible preparation of alginate beads with exactly predictable sizes. The biggest beads obtained with this method were 9 mm in diameter. Thus, with the solvent-based preparation of alginate beads it is now possible to easily obtain beads of exactly the type needed for a specific analytical purpose.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.