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Growth and polyhydroxybutyrate production by Ralstonia eutropha in emulsified plant oil medium

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
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Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are natural polyesters synthesized by bacteria for carbon and energy storage that also have commercial potential as bioplastics. One promising class of carbon feedstocks for industrial PHA production is plant oils, due to the high carbon content of these compounds. The bacterium Ralstonia eutropha accumulates high levels of PHA and can effectively utilize plant oil. Growth experiments that include plant oil, however, are difficult to conduct in a quantitative and reproducible manner due to the heterogeneity of the two-phase medium. In order to overcome this obstacle, a new culture method was developed in which palm oil was emulsified in growth medium using the glycoprotein gum arabic as the emulsifying agent. Gum arabic did not influence R. eutropha growth and could not be used as a nutrient source by the bacteria. R. eutropha was grown in the emulsified oil medium and PHA production was measured over time. Additionally, an extraction method was developed to monitor oil consumption. The new method described in this study allows quantitative, reproducible R. eutropha experiments to be performed with plant oils. The method may also prove useful for studying growth of different bacteria on plant oils and other hydrophobic carbon sources.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tony DeBono for assistance with TLC experiments. This work was funded by the Malaysia MIT Biotechnology Partnership Programme (MMBPP). We thank our MMBPP collaborators for helpful discussions throughout the course of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Charles F. Budde

  2. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bldg. 68-370, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Sebastian L. Riedel & Anthony J. Sinskey

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin, Luxemburger Str. 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Florian Hübner, Stefan Risch & Milan K. Popović

  4. Biomaterials Science and Engineering Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    ChoKyun Rha

  5. Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Anthony J. Sinskey

Authors
  1. Charles F. Budde
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  2. Sebastian L. Riedel
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  3. Florian Hübner
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  4. Stefan Risch
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  5. Milan K. Popović
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  6. ChoKyun Rha
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  7. Anthony J. Sinskey
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Correspondence to Anthony J. Sinskey.

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Budde, C.F., Riedel, S.L., Hübner, F. et al. Growth and polyhydroxybutyrate production by Ralstonia eutropha in emulsified plant oil medium. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 1611–1619 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3102-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3102-0

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