Polyhydroxyalkanoates (Pha) Production from Lactose by Genetically Engineered Burkholderia Sacchari

Abstract

The increasing production and use of petrochemical plastics, environmental pollutants that are difficult to biodegrade, has encouraged the search for economically viable eco-friendly alternatives such as the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). PHA are a class of biodegradable biopolyesters accumulated intracellularly by some bacteria, which can use a range of substrates to accumulate this polymer, including carbohydrate-rich agro-industrial residues. Whey is one of these residues, abundant in different regions, and rich in lactose that can be biotechnologically converted into different biomolecules. The use of lactose was evaluated in a recombinant Burkholderia sacchari harboring E. coli lacZY genes. Recombinant B. sacchari was capable of breaking down lactose into glucose and galactose, which was used for growth and PHA accumulation (5,2 g/L in 48 h). This study opens up the prospects of P(3HB) production from lactose in dairy plants using B. sacchari.

Keywords: Lactose, Cheese whey, Burkholderia sacchari, Bioconversion, polyhydroxyalkanoates