Abstract
Unsaturated medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHA) were produced at a productivity of 0.63–1.09 g PHA l−1 h−1 with final PHA content ranging from 42.6 to 55.8% in single-stage, carbon-limited, fed-batch fermentations of Pseudomonas putida KT2440. A mixture of nonanoic acid (NA) and 10-undecenoic acid (UDA=) was fed exponentially to control growth rate. Varying the specific growth rate (0.14 h−1 vs. 0.23 h−1) at similar substrate feed ratios (NA:UDA= = 5:1) had little effect on the final PHA content and relative composition. However, decreasing the NA:UDA= ratio decreased the final amount of PHA produced from 56% with NA:UDA= = 5.07:1 to only 42% at NA:UDA= = 2.47:1. The molar fraction of all 3-hydroxyalkanoate monomers in the PHA product was relatively constant throughout each fermentation, indicating that the final product was homogeneous rather than a mixture of different copolymers. A linear relationship between unsaturation of the PHA produced and unsaturation of the carbon feed was found, which demonstrates the feasibility of producing unsaturated MCL-PHAs with controlled polymeric composition in a fed-batch process.
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This project was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
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Sun, Z., Ramsay, J.A., Guay, M. et al. Fed-batch production of unsaturated medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates with controlled composition by Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 82, 657–662 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-008-1785-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-008-1785-7