Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) produced from Pseudomonas aeruginosa 42A2 (NCBIM 40045): Effect of fatty acid nature as nutrient

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) was produced by the micro-organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa 42A2. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with different chain lengths were tested as carbon sources, in different culture conditions, in order to investigate their incorporation into the isolated biopolymers. With the aid of 1H, 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra the structure of the isolated PHAs was determined. The mean chain length in the monomers of isolated PHAs is almost independent of the chain length of substrates. The amount of unsaturation in the biopolymer is related to the substrate but depends on culture conditions. Molecular weight and thermal properties of these biopolymers were determined.