title: A new biological recovery approach for PHA using mealworm, Tenebrio molitor.
abstract: Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are expensive partly due to the recovery and purification processes. Thus, many studies have been carried out in order to minimize the cost. Here we report on the use of mealworm, which is the larva of mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) to recover PHA granules from Cupriavidus necator. Mealworms were shown to readily consume the freeze-dried C. necator cells and excrete the PHA granules in the form of whitish feces. Further purification using water, detergent and heat resulted in almost 100% pure PHA granules. Comparison with chloroform extraction showed no signs of reduction in the molecular weight and dispersion of the PHA molecules. Scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements revealed that the biologically recovered PHA granules retained their native spherical morphology. The PHA granules were subjected to a battery of tests to determine their purity and properties in comparison to the chloroform extracted PHA. This study has demonstrated the possibility of using mealworms as a biological agent to partially purify the PHA granules.
authors.affiliation: Ecobiomaterial Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Paramasivam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Murugan
authors.affiliation: Ecobiomaterial Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Lizhu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Analytical Biochemistry Research Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Chee-Yuen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Polymer & Materials Chemistry, Lund University, Box 124, Lund SE-221 00, Sweden.
authors.forename: Frans H J
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.affiliation: Ecobiomaterial Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: ksudesh@usm.my.
authors.forename: Kumar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sudesh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020118:Cupriavidus necator / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology*; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates
keywords: Biological recovery; Cupriavidus necator; Mealworm; Polyhydroxyalkanoates