I am going to extract silk fibroin and make scaffold (HFIP sponges) of it. Now in the article that I am following, u need to lyophilze the silk solution through freeze dry method but I don't have freeze dry facilty so can I use vacuum lyophilization instead. Your valuable suggestions will be highly appreciated please.
Hi!
You can use vacuum lyophilizer but you can face a problem of foaming solution. If you need in porous scaffolds it could be a good advantage since microcristalls of ice will be porogen. First of all, you should to freeze solution in freezer (-20 is OK). If you use liquid sample it will be foamed. Then put it into vacuum and control its mass gravimetrically.
Regards,
Tatiana
Please go thru this link you will get an idea
http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v6/n10/fig_tab/nprot.2011.379_F11.html
This is the article I am following. And according to Rockwood I should do freeze dry lyophilization. That's why I asked this question aa I don't have this facility so what about vacuum
Freeze drying is better method than vacuum drying. Freeze drying will keep the material intact but in case of vacuum foaming will be an issue. Search for near by laboratories for this facility.
Dear all, there is some confusion in the expressions used:
Lyophilisation = originates in the French language ( = freeze drying (US term)) and means sublimation drying (in vacuum; directly from solid to vapour) followed by conventionally (convective) drying of non frozen water (due to strong bonding of the watermolecules to solids)
Vacuum lyophilisation = vacuum freeze drying (this is the standard) as opposed to atmospheric freeze drying (this is what the South Americans did in dry and cold climate with a lot of solar radiation)
Vacuum drying = is low pressure (therefore lower boiling temperature of liquids) drying of unfrozen material.
Foaming may occur during early stages of freeze drying or vacuum drying, esp. if you have highly concentrated sugar solutions (grucose, fructose, lactose...)
Yours,
Harald
Dear Numan Fazal,
The answer is YES. you can use the vacuum lyophilisation instead of freez drying processes. In some cases, the vacuum lyophilisation is better than other drying processes. But the most drawbacks is the high energy consumption for vacuum production.
Best regards!
Dr. Adel OUESLATI
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