Optimized Growth conditions for polyhydroxyalkanoate production by halotolerant bacteria isolated from Karachi mangrove forest

Author(s) : Naima Khan, Nazia Jamil

Digital object identifier:

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF040201

Abstract:

Researchers have been investigating multiple alternatives for synthetic plastic to completely replace polystyrene plastics, one of which is Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). PHA is biodegradable and biocompatible, and it shows elastomeric and thermostable properties comparable to polystyrene. The purpose of this study was to isolate bacterial species TattaPani Kashmir and Karachi Mangrove forest capable of surviving high salinity and poroducing PHA. The isolated bacterial strains were provided with different growth conditions such as pH, Temperature and salinity for optimized growth and PHA production. Ten bacterial strains were selected for this experiment, and it was found that Bacillus aryabhattaiWK31 produced maximum (61%) PHA at 37℃, 6% NaCl and 6.8 pH. Similarly, strain Bacillus aryabhattaiS1, Bacillus halotoleranus14SM, and Bacillus aryabhattaiAFSN2 were also able to produce 55, 58 and 61 percent PHA at similar growth condition. Moreover, these bacteria, particularly 14Sm, were able to tolerate salinity as high as 12 g l-1. The importance of optimized growth conditions is unparalleled as bacteria, like other organisms, need ideal conditions to produce a maximum polymer.