Liquid-tight and gas-permeable chitosan-based capsule

Description

Insect parasitoids are a promising alternative of pesticides in the biological control approach. However, as immature parasitoid develops on or within a pest, mass production is technically complex and hardly affordable to compete with traditional pesticide strategies. Artificial rearing media are being developed with limited success. Our solution : a capsule made of :
  • an inner semi-solid particule including e.g. feeding media and volatile components
  • an intercalary film (10 to 50nm) made of polystyrene and beeswax
  • an outer thin chitosan-based membrane (90 to 130nm)
 

Applications

  • Feeding/breeding of arthropods, including insects, arachnids and parasitoids, especially with small perforating apparatus
  • Other applications by encapsulating therapeutic, nutritive or cosmetic compounds
  • Controlled release of volatile active ingredients