A new method to determine initial viability of entrapped cells using fluorescent nucleic acid staining

Entrapped bacterial cells are widely used in several biotechnological applications. Cell entrapment procedures are known to affect the viability of bacterial cells. To determine the effect of entrapment procedures on viability of bacterial cells, dissolution of the entrapment matrices using chelating agents or heat is required immediately after the entrapment is completed. Chelating agents and heat applied in the matrix dissolution reduce cell viability and in turn hinder accurate quantification of viable cells. In this study, a method to determine the effect of entrapment procedure on bacterial cell viability which involves entrapping cells directly onto glass slides was developed. The developed method showed less viability reduction than the methods requiring matrix dissolution. The percentage of live cells in the culture before entrapment ranged from 54% to 74%, while the percent of live cells after entrapment determined by the developed method was 39-62%.