ASSESSMENT OF POLYHYDROXYALKANOATE SYNTHESIS IN SUBMERGED CULTIVATION OF Cupriavidus necator AND Burkholderia cepacia STRAINS USING SOYBEAN AS SUBSTRATE

ABSTRACT Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biocompatible and biodegradable polyesters produced by prokaryotic microbes for energy storage and carbon reserve. These polymers are an option to diminish the massive impact caused by inadequate disposal of synthetic plastics. In this study, evaluation and characterization of PHA produced by Cupriavidus necator (IPT 026 and IPT 027) and Burkholderia cepacia (IPT 119 and IPT 400), using soybean as substrate, were carried out (soybean 15 g L-1, pH 7.0, 150 rpm, 72 hours). The highest polymer production was achieved using IPT 027 (0.84 ± 0.07 g L-1). All...