Characterization of Bacterial Polymer Formation Using Vibrational Spectroscopy

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are increasingly used in various applications ranging from degradable packaging to biomedical applications because of their biodegradability and biocompatibility.  In addition, these materials have properties similar to conventional plastics and are easily processable in common processing equipment.  PHAs are produced by different strains of naturally occurring and genetically modified bacteria in unfavorable growth conditions such as limited nitrogen and oxygen supply and the presence of excess carbon.  Gas chromatography (GC) is the most common method for quantitative composition determination of PHAs formed in bacterial cells; however, the technique is time consuming and cannot be used online. We developed a sampling method which enables use of Raman spectroscopy to characterize PHA formation within a single bacterium of Cupriavidus necator. We are currently developing a technique to quantify PHA formation using this new method.