Abstract

The influence of levulinic acid (LA) on the production of copolyester consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) by Ralstonia eutropha was investigated. Addition of LA into the culture medium greatly increased the molar fraction of 3HV in the copolyester, indicating that LA can be utilized as a precursor of 3HV. In shake flask culture, the 3HV content in the copolyester increased from 7 to 75 mol% by adding 0.5 to 4.0 g/L LA to the medium containing fructose syrup as a main carbon source. A maximal copolyester concentration of 3.6 g/L (69% of dry cell weight) was achieved with a 3HV content of 40 mol% in a jar fermentor culture containing 4.0 g/L of LA. When LA (total concentration, 4 g/L) was added repeatedly into a fermentor culture to maintain its concentration at a low level, the copolyester content and the 3HV yield from LA reached up to 85% of dry cell weight and 5.0 g/g, respectively, which were significantly higher than those when the same concentration of the LA was supplied all at once. The present results indicated that LA is more effective than propionate or valerate as a cosubstrate for the production of copolyesters with varying molar fractions of 3HV by R. eutropha.

• Keywords: Copolyester; levulinic acid; polyhydroxyalkanoate; Ralstonia eutropha