Characterization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) produced by Cupriavidus necator in solid-state fermentation

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Polymer Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers with diverse applications.
• Submerged fermentation (SmF) is a traditional method for PHA production.
• Solid-state fermentation (SSF) presents a promising alternative for PHA synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) using SSF.
• To characterize the structural, thermal, and morphological properties of SSF-produced PHB.
• To evaluate SSF as an alternative to SmF for PHB manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Solid-state fermentation (SSF) using soy cake as a substrate.
• Supplementation of substrate with sugarcane molasses.
• Characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD).
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
• Infrared (IR) spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• SSF successfully produced poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB).
• The biopolymer exhibited comparable properties to commercial PHB.
• SSF-derived PHB showed higher molar mass and lower crystallinity.
• Soy cake and molasses served as effective low-cost, renewable feedstocks.

Conclusions:

• Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is a viable and sustainable method for PHB production.
• The process allows for the creation of biopolymers with adequate properties from renewable resources.
• SSF offers an attractive alternative to submerged fermentation for biopolymer manufacturing.