Biology, Vol 14, No 1 (2021)

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTICOMPONENT PHA

Evgeniy G Kiselev, Alexander D Vasiliev, Tatiana G Volova

Abstract


In the bacterial culture of C. eutrophus B10646 in the synthesis mode of reserve polyhydroxyaleanoates when included in the growth medium, in addition to the main substrate of glucose, substrates-precursors of various monocarboxylic acid monomers - salts of valerianic and hexanoic acids, pripionate, γ-butyrolactone, a family of three and four-component with a different set and ratio of monomers and studied the physico-chemical properties. The three-component samples were formed by monomers of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV), 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) or 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HB) and had the following compositions: P(3HB/3HB/4HB) and P(3HB/3HV/4HH); the four-component copolymers P(3HB/3HV/4HB/3HH) contained a set of 4 monomers. All copolymer samples, regardless of the composition and ratio of monomers, had lower molecular weights and higher polydispersity values compared to the highly crystalline homopolymer 3-hydroxybutyrate, but retained thermal stability properties, having a gap between the melting point and thermal degradation of at least 100-110 ° С . The inclusion of monomers in the C-chain of 3HB monomers 3HV, 4HB and 3HH caused a change in the ratio of crystalline and amorphous phases, and a decrease in the degree of crystallinity (Cx), depending on the type of monomers and the content in the copolymer. The maximum decrease in Cx (up to 9-17%) was recorded in three-component samples P(3HB/3HV/4HB) and up to 30-36% in four-component copolymers P(3HB/3HV/4HB/3HH). The possibility of synthesis of polymers of various compositions, significantly differing in basic properties, is proved.