African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12504

Full Length Research Paper

Identification of pesticide-degrading Pseudomonas strains as poly-β-hydroxybutyrate producers

  Ane Gerber Crochemore1*, Maria Laura Turino Mattos2, Claire Tondo Vendruscolo1, Luis Antonio Suita de Castro2 and Angelita da Silveira Moreira1  
  1Development Technological Center, Federal University of Pelotas, P. O. Box 354, 96010-900, Pelotas, RS – Brazil. 2Embrapa Temperate Agriculture, P. O. Box 403, 96001-970, Pelotas, RS – Brazil.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 26 September 2012
  •  Published: 23 October 2012

Abstract

 

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is an ecological promising substitute for polypropylene because it is biocompatible, biodegradable and can be produced by renewable sources. This study investigated PHB accumulation on pesticide-degradingPseudomonas. 14 strains of pesticide-degrading Pseudomonas isolated from subtropical lowland soil in southern Brazil were analyzed using optical microscopy. Lipid inclusions were identified in four strains, and three of them, which degraded the pesticide carbofuran, had extensive granules accumulation which was detected by transmission electron microscopy. These strains were cultivated in a shaker at 28°C and the polymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Strain CMM43 had the best accumulation after 48 h. The biopolymer was identified as poly-β-hydroxybutyrate.

 

Key words: Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), pesticide-degrading Pseudomonas sp., microscopy, subtropical lowland soil.

Copyright © 2025 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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