Polyhydroxybutyrate by Streptomyces sp.: Production and characterization.

A total number of 20 actinomycetes isolates were isolated from soil sediments obtained from Semmancheri coastal areas of Bay of Bengal, India and they were qualitatively screened for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) on a medium containing Sudan black stain. Nine of the 20 isolates produced PHB and the quantity of PHB produced varied from 1.79 to 4.26g-L. Among the positive isolates an actinomycete isolate which was identified as Streptomyces sp. through 16S rRNA sequencing analysis (Accession No: KF667247) produced relatively higher PHB than other positive isolates. Subsequently, the growth conditions were optimized for the maximum PHB production by the chosen organism. Attempt was also made to utilize natural carbon sources such as paddy straw, wheat bran, rice bran, sugarcane molasses and oil cake for the production of PHB in an attempt to reduce the cost production of PHB. The purified PHB was analyzed by Solid-State 13C NMR, Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy, Powder X-ray diffraction, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopic analyses to determine the structure, crystallinity, purity and thermal stability. The present investigation has revealed that Streptomyces sp. could be a potential source for the production of PHB with desirable characteristics and could also be exploited for the industrial production.