NOVEL DIET ENCAPSULATION / PACKAGING METHODS Pat Greany, Ara Manukian,

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NOVEL DIET ENCAPSULATION / PACKAGING
METHODS Pat Greany, Ara Manukian, Bill Toreki
Rudy Strohschein Analytical Research Systems,
Inc., Gainesville, FL
Bill Toreki
Ara Manukian
Rudy Strohschein
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Diet Packaging / Encapsulation Requirements

• Presentation of artificial diets for insects,
  including parasitoids and predators, must be made
  in a form that meets the behavioral requirements
  of these organisms.
• Practical considerations require that the
  presentation approach also is cost-effective,
  allowing rapid and convenient encapsulation /
  packaging of the diet.
• Exposure of the diet to desiccation and
  deleterious microorganisms must be minimized.
• Diet handling also should be convenient for
  introduction into the insects environment
  removal thereafter.

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• We have developed two systems to encapsulate or
• package insect diets to meet these objectives
• _____________________________________________
• A simple system for stretching, forming, filling
  and sealing Parafilm or other elastic films
• A novel method for production of Hydrocapsules
  , individual, polymer-encapsulated diet pills
  that can be filled with a wide array of aqueous
  solutions, suspensions or diets.
• Hydrocapsules offer a completely new way to
  deliver food and water (or control agents) to
  insects and they allow unparalleled opportunities
  for incorporation of kairomones and
  phagostimulants to increase discovery,
  recognition and acceptance of these capsules.

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Part 1Traditional film-based encapsulation
system

• Parafilm
• Seal-View
• Dura-Seal

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APPARATUS FOR FORMING WELLS
24 Well Plate with Vacuum Control Regulator
40 Well Plate

• PLATES WITH ALMOST ANY NUMBER, SIZE, SHAPE
  OF WELLS CAN BE PRODUCED
• ALL WELLS ARE FORMED SIMULTANEOUSLY AND
  RAPIDLY
• FILM CAN BE PRE-STRETCHED PRIOR TO APPLICATION
  AND THEN STRETCHED AGAIN BY VACUUM TO
  MINIMAL THICKNESS
• POPPING IS AVOIDED BY CONTROL OF NEGATIVE
  PRESSURE AND ASSURED STOPPING POINT AT POROUS
  PLATE AT BOTTOM OF WELL

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Geocoris punctipes
Podisus maculiventris
Diapetimorpha introita larvae
Adult w/ fall armyworm pupa
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Part 2 _______________ Hydrocapsule
Encapsulation Technology Development
(Supported by USDA SBIR Program Grant)
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The term HYDROCAPSULE, is a U.S. Registered
Trademark (Reg. No. 2,468,415), solely owned by
ARS, Inc. It is defined as a discrete capsule(s)
or microcapsule(s), of any size, shape,
composition and color, which has a polymeric
outer coating (shell or membrane) that surrounds
any inner liquid mixture having 10 to 100 water
content. The capsules are typically round, but
can be any shape, and range in size from 100
microns to 2 centimeters in diameter, and are
typically between 2 to 3 millimeters.     The
methods, materials, chemical processes and
machine hardware used to produce HYDROCAPSULES
are U.S. Patented (Ser. No. 09/780,046) and
International Patent-pending (PCT Chapters 1 2
filed) and are solely owned by ARS.  

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Coleomegilla maculata Photo by Dr. Jim White,
Entomos Inc.
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Podisus maculiventris nymph feeding on
Hydrocapsule contents
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Orius insidiosus nymph on water pill
Photos by Dr. Jeff Shapiro, USDA ARS
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• Other Advantages of Hydrocapsules
• They can be used for aqueous or lipophilic
  contents (or emulsions of the two)
• They can be easily frozen or sterilized using
  irradiation (terminal sterilization)
• Attractants and phagostimulants can be
  incorporated internally and/or externally due to
  polymeric encapsulant
• ______________________

• Hydrocapsules Also Can Be Used as a Delivery
  System For
• Biopesticides Conventional Toxicants
• Pathogens
• Entomopathogenic nematodes

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Steinernema sp.