It is desirable that spray-dried microorganisms maintain their viability and activity during encapsulation, a possibility that depends on the strain and the conditions of encapsulation. A wide variety of modifications may occur in cells after encapsulation. This work examines the effects of encapsulation in malt dextrin on the production of biopolymer, comparing encapsulated and non-encapsulated Beijerinckia cells. From the characterisation of the biopolymers and study of the fermentation kinetics, it was shown that the encapsulation of Beijerinckia mainly influenced cell growth and biopolymer production. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.