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Updated: Oct 1, 2025
Immobilization of Multi-biocatalysts in Alginate Beads for Cofactor Regeneration and Improved Reusability
Published on: April 22, 2016
Direct processing of alginate-immobilized microalgae into polyhydroxybutyrate using marine bacterium of
Xinjuan Hu1, Yulie E Meneses2, Jayne Stratton3
1Department of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; Department of Food Science and Technology, Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-6205, United States.
Abstract:
Alginate immobilized microalgae (AIM) was found efficient in algal cells separation and pollutants removal, however, its processing required alginate removal. In present study, polysaccharide-degrading bacterium of Saccharophagus degradans was used to biodegrade alginate and microalgae in AIM and produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Results showed that AIM cultivated in wastewater contained 34.0% carbohydrate and 45.7% protein. S. degradans effectively degraded and utilized polysaccharide of AIM to maintain five-day continuous growth at 7.1-8.8 log CFU/mL. Compared with glucose, S. degradans metabolism of mixed polysaccharide in AIM maintained the medium pH at 7.1-7.8. Increasing the inoculum concentration did not enhance AIM utilization by S. degradans due to the carbon catabolite repression of glucose which likely inactivated hydrolysis enzymes. PHB production in S. degradans peaked at 64.9 mg/L after 72 h cultivation but was later degraded to provide energy. Conclusively, S. degradans was effective in direct processing of AIM while showing potential in PHB production.
