Effect of nitrogen and/or oxygen concentration on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) accumulation by Halomonas boliviensis

The behaviour of Halomonas boliviensis during growth in fed-batch culture under different kind of nutrient restrictions was examined. The metabolic switch between growth and accumulation phase is determined by the limitation in one or more essential nutrient for bacterial growth. The aim of this study was to test the effect of applying limitations of a essential nutrient, such as nitrogen, and the influence of different O2 concentrations on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production during the accumulation phase. Single limitations of nitrogen and oxygen provoke PHB accumulations of 45 and 37 % (g g(-1)), respectively, while N limitation with low O2 supply causes the highest PHB accumulation of 73 %. The characterization of the PHB production with the strain H. boliviensis would allow a better optimization of the process and enrich the knowledge about the PHB production from strains different than Cupriavidus necator.