Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production from Two Species of Marine Bacteria: A Comparative Study

There are few reports of polyhydroxyalkanoates production from marine microorganisms. This work aimed to explore the marine bacteria Cobetia sp. INV PRT122 and Bacillus sp. INV FIR18 isolated from the Colombian Caribbean Sea as polyhydroxyalkanoates producers. The polymers were extracted, and structural analyses were completed to confirm their nature. Growth, accumulation, and sugar consumption kinetic studies were then conducted using glucose as a carbon source at 2%, 4%, 8%, 12% (w/v). A high degree of purity could be seen in the spectroscopy analysis through its signals, and the results indicated that the isolated polysaccharides had the same chemical structure as that of polyhydroxybutyrate. The results of the growth of the microorganisms and production of polyhydroxyalkanoates confirm that an excess of carbon affects the polymer production. The highest production was obtained from Bacillus sp. INV FIR18 using glucose at 2%, 30 °C, 140 rpm, and 144 h.