DOI: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.30 ISSN: 2578-8353

Microbial Production of PHB from Rhizospheric Bacteria

Subhrojeet Roy, Anjali Panigrahi, Rinki Maharana, Bodroth Prasad, Sudipta Maity, Pankaj Parhi
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The use of non-degradable polymers is generally inexpensive but has been creating havoc and has led to very serious environmental problems, as these non-degradable polymers take many years to degrade due to the hardness of this polymer. In the last few decades, there has been much research in the generation and advancement of new materials to address the problem presented by fossil-based polymers. This study focuses on The isolation, screening, and evaluation of PHB-producing bacteria from a soil sample collected from the rhizosphere. A total of heterotrophic bacterial isolates was obtained and subjected to screening using a fluorescence-based staining method involving Nile red dye. Approximately most of the isolates demonstrated significant fluorescence, indicating the presence of intracellular PHB granules. Selected strains were further cultivated under a glucose-rich medium to promote polymer development, and their PHB production was quantitatively monitored using spectrofluorometry. The findings indicated that PHB accumulation in all examined strains escalated over time and reached a plateau after approximately 48 hours of incubation. Comparative analysis using different carbon sources, such as glucose, showed similar levels of polymer production after 72 hours in most isolates. However, certain strains exhibited enhanced accumulation, suggesting variability in metabolic efficiency. Among the isolates studied, one strain demonstrated notably higher PHB production compared to others. The results show that using Nile red staining with spectrofluorometry is a quick and accurate way to find and count microorganisms that make PHB. Furthermore, rhizosphere soils are identified as promising natural sources for isolating efficient PHB-producing bacteria with potential industrial applications. The study also emphasizes the importance of environmental isolates in improving the accuracy of predictive models related to microbial activity and polymer production.

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