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Application of a quartz crystal microbalance to evaluate biodegradability of starch by Bacillus subtilis

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Abstract

Biodegradation of solution-cast starch films by Bacillus subtilis was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). A starch film was formed on the crystal by solution casting and exposed to the Bacillus subtilis culture in a bioreactor. The high sensitivity of the QCM could monitor small weight changes of the starch films on the crystal in the initial stages of biodegradation by secreted exo-enzymes of the bacterium. The feasibility of this approach as a means of quantification and characterisation of biodegradability of different polymeric materials by selected organisms is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia

    M. Jenkins, M. Horsfall, D. Mathew & M. Scanlon

  2. Environment and Biotechnology Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

    R. Jayasekara & G.T. Lonergan

Authors
  1. M. Jenkins
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  2. M. Horsfall
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  3. D. Mathew
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  4. M. Scanlon
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  5. R. Jayasekara
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  6. G.T. Lonergan
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Jenkins, M., Horsfall, M., Mathew, D. et al. Application of a quartz crystal microbalance to evaluate biodegradability of starch by Bacillus subtilis . Biotechnology Letters 26, 1095–1099 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BILE.0000032971.88598.13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BILE.0000032971.88598.13

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