Cometabolic Production of Poly(3-Hydroxyalkanoates) Containing Carbon-Carbon Double and Triple Bonds by Pseudomonas oleovorans

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) copolyesters containing both carbon-carbon double and carbon-carbon triple bonds were produced by Pseudomonas oleovorans grown in mixtures of 10-undecynoic acid (10-UND($\equiv$)) and 10-undecenoic acid (10-UND(=)). The PHA content in the dry cells was usually 40 wt%. The bioconversion yield of ($10-UND({\equiv})$) to PHA by P. oleovorans was remarkably enhanced from 1% to over 24% as the fraction of 10-UND(=) in the carbon substrate mixtures increased from 0 to 50%. These values were higher than those obtained when P. oleovorans was grown in the same molar mixtures of ($10-UND({\equiv})$) and nonanoic acid (NA), indicating that 10-UND(=) was more efficient than NA as a cosubstrate in inducing cometabolic PHA production.