Mass production of medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) from hydrolyzed corn oil by fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas putida

A novel biopolyester, Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHAs), was made from the corn oil hydrolysate, an inexpensive and renewable carbon source, by a fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas putida with a phosphate limitation. The cell growth, MCL-PHAs accumulation and feeding strategies of corn oil hydrolysate in the cultures of P. putida were investigated in 5 l and 30 l fermentors respectively. In the optimal fermentation, the final cell and MCL-PHAs concentrations reached 103 and 28 g/l, which represents a MCL-PHAs productivity of 0.61 g/l h. It was confirmed by its NMR spectrum that this MCL-PHAs from corn oil hydrolysate contained 4 saturated and 3 unsaturated monomers with a chain length of 6-14 carbon atoms.