“3-in-1” Hybrid Biocatalysts: Association of Yeast Cells Immobilized in a Sol–Gel Matrix for Determining Sewage Pollution
Olga A. Kamanina, Elizaveta A. Lantsova, Pavel V. Rybochkin, Vyacheslav A. Arlyapov, Evgeniya A. Saverina, Natalia S. Kulikovskaya, Alexander M. Perepukhov, A. N. Vereshchagin, Valentine P. Ananikov
Abstract
This study presents a novel ″3-in-1″ hybrid biocatalyst design that combines the individual efficiency of microorganisms while avoiding negative interactions between them. Yeast cells of Ogataea polymorpha VKM Y-2559, Blastobotrys adeninivorans VKM Y-2677, and Debaryomyces hansenii VKM Y-2482 were immobilized in an organosilicon material by using the sol–gel method, resulting in a hybrid biocatalyst. The catalytic activity of the immobilized microorganism mixture was evaluated by employing it as the bioreceptor element of a biosensor. Optical and scanning electron microscopies were used to examine the morphology of the biohybrid material. Elemental distribution analysis confirmed the encapsulation of yeast cells in a matrix composed of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) (85 and 15 vol %, respectively). The resulting heterogeneous biocatalyst exhibited excellent performance in determining the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) index in real surface water samples, with a sensitivity coefficient of 50 ± 3 × 10 –3 ·min –1, a concentration range of 0.3–31 mg/L, long-term stability for 25 days, and a relative standard deviation of 3.8%. These findings demonstrate the potential of the developed hybrid biocatalyst for effective pollution monitoring and wastewater treatment applications.