Loofa (Luffa cylindrica) sponge: Review of development of the biomatrix as a tool for biotechnological applications

Abstract

The review discusses the development of loofa sponge (Luffa cylindrica) as a biotechnological tool and the diversity of applications in which it has been successfully used since it was first reported as a matrix for the immobilization of microbiological cells in 1993. The fibro-vascular reticulated structure, made up of an open network of random lattices of small cross-sections coupled with very high porosity (79-93%), having very low density (0.02-0.04 g/cm(3) ), and high specific pore volume (21-29 cm(3) /g), has the characteristics of a carrier/scaffold well-suited for cell immobilization. This has been confirmed through the immobilization of cells of diverse types, including filamentous and microalgae, fungi, bacteria, yeasts, higher plants, and human and rat hepatocytes. The cells immobilized in loofa sponge have performed well and better than free suspended cells and those immobilized in conventionally used natural and synthetic polymeric materials for the production of ethanol, organic acids, enzymes, and secondary metabolites. The loofa-immobilized cell systems have been efficiently used for the treatment of wastewaters containing toxic metals, dyes, and chlorinated compounds, and the technology has been used to develop biofilms for the remediation of domestic and industrial wastewaters rich in inorganic and organic matter. In addition, three-dimensional loofa sponge scaffolds for hepatocyte culture have been suggested to have the potential for development into a bioartificial liver device. Loofa sponge is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and easy to handle matrix that has been used successfully as a biotechnological tool in a variety of systems, purposes, and applications.

Characterization of curdlan produced by Agrobacterium sp. IFO 13140 cells immobilized in a loofa sponge matrix, and application of this biopolymer in the development of functional yogurt

“…These values suggest that mass transfer efficiency in a fixed bed of loofa sponge would be elevated, and because of large empty spaces for the growth of immobilized cells, fixed cells with high cell densities might lead to high metabolic productivity. Therefore its elevated porosity and low density allow the use of a small amount of matrix to provide a large surface area for cell adhesion . SEM showed a large number of Agrobacterium sp.…”

“…Secondary metabolites and polymers have been obtained by application of immobilized cell systems. The loofa sponge ( Luffa cylindrica ) can be used for this purpose, since it is abundantly available, inexpensive, highly stable during repeated use and presents a simple application technique . In a previous study, Agrobacterium sp.…”

In-Depth Analysis of the Structure and Properties of Two Varieties of Natural Luffa Sponge Fibers

“…The luffa sponge is a rich resource for plants and is cultivated in the tropical countries of Asia and Africa, and some sub-tropical areas. The plantation areas in China include Jiangxi, Henan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Anhui, and a few other places [1,2,3]. The luffa sponge is a low-density, eco-friendly resource that is non-toxic, biodegradable, and has stable physical and chemical properties [4,5].…”

Cadmium removal by Anabaena sp. ATCC 33047 immobilized in polyurethane foam

“…Faster equilibria for cadmium biosorption have been reported for other photosynthetic microorganisms, with removal of 93.5 % of initial cadmium in solution for Chlorella sorokiniana (Akhtar et al 2003) and 94.3 % for Synechococcus sp. (Saeed and Iqbal 2013) in 5 min, using loofa sponges as matrix and cadmium solutions of only 10 ppm. Gadd (1988) proposed that a first rapid phase of biosorption involved bulk transport of cadmium, resulting in the binding of cations to the negatively charged reactive groups on the surface of cells, followed by a slower second phase of cellular uptake.…”