Plastic encapsulation of stabilized Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida

Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida dried in hydroxyectoine or trehalose are shown to be highly resistant to the organic solvents chloroform and acetone, and consequently, they can be encapsulated in a viable form in solid plastic materials. Bacteria are recovered by rehydration after physical disruption of the plastic. P. putida incorporated into a plastic coating of maize seeds was shown to colonize roots efficiently after germination.