Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from cheese whey employing Bacillus megaterium CCM 2037

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a polyester belonging to the family of polyhydroxyalkanoates, which accumulate in a wide variety of bacterial strains. PHB appears to be a biodegradable alternative to traditional petrochemical polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene. In this work, we tested direct conversion of cheap waste cheese whey into PHB employing the bacterial strain Bacillus megaterium CCM 2037. Optimization of medium composition improved PHB yields about 50 fold (biomass and PHB yields 2.82 and 1.05 g l−1, respectively) as compared to none-optimized whey. Furthermore, PHB yields were improved by about 40% by introducing 1% ethanol into the medium at the beginning of the stationary phase of growth (biomass 2.87 g l−1, PHB 1.48 g l−1). According to the results of experiments carried out in Erlenmeyer flasks, B. megaterium CCM 2037 can be considered a candidate for direct PHB production from waste cheese whey. Nevertheless, experiments in laboratory-scale and semi-productive fermentors are needed to test performance under high cell density cultivation.