| abstract |
The present invention relates to a system for the encapsulation and controlled release of insecticides to combat Diptera, known as fruit fly, including the families Tephritidae and Drosophilidae. The system protects insecticide molecules against the processes of photolysis and only activates the release of the molecules by direct contact with the flies. The invention is based on the use of mesoporous silica particles as an encapsulating system, and on the functionalisation of the particles with protein molecules. The proteins have a dual function: on the one hand, they are substances that attract the flies; and on the other, they close the pores and only allow them to open when the fly, by contact, releases proteases and other fluids that degrade the protein covering. The formulations with pyrethroids encapsulated in these protein-functionalised mesoporous silica systems retain their insecticide activity after 35 days. |