Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production by Pseudomonas putida KT217 on a Condensed Corn Solubles Based Medium Fed with Glycerol Water or Sunflower Soapstock

Pseudomonas putida KT217 was grown on a complex medium comprised of co-products of the ethanol and biodiesel industries to assess the organism's capability to produce medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA). The growth phase was carried out in a medium containing 400 g/L condensed corn solubles (CCS), supplemented with ammonium hydroxide as a nitrogen source. Following the exponential phase, co-products of the biodiesel industry (soapstock and glycerin) were fed into the reactor to trigger PHA production. When glycerin was added to the bioreactor (75 g/L total addition), the final cell dry weight (CDW) and PHA content were 30 g/L and 31%, respectively. The monomeric composition in the PHA formed was relatively uniform throughout incubation with 3-hydroxydecanoate dominating. When a total of 153 g/L of sunflower soapstock was added to the bioreactor in a fed-batch manner, the final CDW and PHA content were 17 g/L and 17%, respectively. Following addition of soapstock the monomeric composition of the polymer changed dramatically, with the 3-hydroxyoctanoate monomer becoming dominant and greater unsaturation present in the PHA.