title: Enzymatic and non-enzymatic degradation of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolyesters produced by Alcaligenes sp. MT-16.
abstract: Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(3HB-co-3HV), copolyesters with a variety of 3HV contents (ranging from 17 to 60 mol%) were produced by Alcaligenes sp. MT-16 grown on a medium containing glucose and levulinic acid in various ratios, and the effects of hydrophilicity and crystallinity on the degradability of the copolyesters were evaluated. Measurements of thermo-mechanical properties and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflectance revealed that the hydrophilicity and crystallinity of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolyesters decreased as 3HV content in the copolyester increased. When the prepared copolyester film samples were non-enzymatically hydrolysed in 0.01 N NaOH solution, the weights of all samples were found to have undergone no changes over a period of 20 weeks. In contrast, the copolyester film samples were degraded by the action of extracellular polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase from Emericellopsis minima W2. The overall rate of weight loss was higher in the films containing higher amounts of 3HV, suggesting that the enzymatic degradation of the copolyester is more dependent on the crystallinity of the copolyester than on its hydrophilicity. Our results suggest that the degradability characteristics of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolyesters, as well as their thermo-mechanical properties, are greatly influenced by the 3HV content in the copolyesters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gang Guk
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hyung Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Ha
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Rhee
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D003460:Crystallization; D003470:Culture Media; D005947:Glucose; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007982:Levulinic Acids; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D000217:Acyltransferases; D003470:Culture Media; D005947:Glucose; D007982:Levulinic Acids; D011091:Polyesters; C052620:poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(3-hydroxyvalerate); D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates; C060970:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate polymerase; C032246:levulinic acid