POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE) PRODUCTION BY Cupriavidus necator SUPPLEMENTED WITH MINIEMULSIFIED SOYBEAN OIL

Studies have shown that the supplementation of vegetable oils, in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production, provides an increase in the process productivity, besides inducing lipase activity in the medium. The supplementation with miniemulsified oils could potentialize these results. In this work, the influence of supplementation of the medium with soybean oil, without treatment and miniemulsified, on polymerr production was evaluated. The best moment to supplement the medium and its influence on lipase activity were also analyzed. The results showed that the supplementation with miniemulsified soybean oil promoted an increase of 9.7% in polymer content and the productivity increased from 0.58 to 0.63 g.L-1.h(-1), when compared with the culture without supplementation. The best time to add the supplement is in the beginning of the production phase. The lipase activity was higher for the culture supplemented with miniemulsified soybean oil, promoting the use of the oil.