Abstract:
The polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) act as intracellular energy storage substances in many
prokaryotes. These bio-based polymers biodegradable and biocompatible. Short and medium
chain length PHAs are industry produced by m icroorganisms and their enzymes . Short-chain
length PHA is produced by the well-known bacterium Priestia megaterium (previously Bacillus
megaterium). The goal of the study is to optimize PHA yield and improve the efficiency
of the manufacturing process by examining different concentrations of carbon and nitrogen
compounds . At a pH of 7 and temperature 37°C, the culture medium supplemented with 17 g/L
sugarcane molasses as the carbon source and 0.05 g/L ammonium sulphate as the nitrogen source
produced a maximum PHB of 0.95 g/L. The investigation has shown that FTIR can be used
as an indirect method for determining the presence of PHB. The FTIR analysis confirmed the
biopolymer's structure as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) by detecting the presence of methyl,
methylene, hydroxyl, and ester carbonyl groups. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and their
monomeric components were identified using GC-MS chromatography.
