Evaluation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) production with a bacterial isolate using cassava flour hydrolysates as an alternative substrate

Abstract

In the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), the costs of the process are mainly associated with the carbon source and most of the production studies are carried out with commercial strains. In this study, PHA production was evaluated using a strain, SB-34, compared with a referenced strain, Ralstonia eutropha H16, growing in cassava flour hydrolysates as an alternative carbon source. SB-34 reached a biomass maximum of 5,49 ± 0,21 g / L, and PHA product of 3,23 ± 0,21 g / L exceeding the maximum values obtained by R. eutropha H16 (3,8 ± 0,45 g / L and 2,42 ± 0,23 g / L, respectively). Analyzes with FTIR indicate that the polymer obtained with SB-34 is like polyhydroxybutyrate P(3-HB) type. Molecular analysis identified SB-34 as Burkholderia sp. with 96 % of similarity.