Production of Bioplastic (Polyhydroxybutyrate) by Micrococcus luteus isolated from water sample

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable polymer produced by various microorganisms as a storage material, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. Biodegradability of Bioplastics has been widely publicized in society and the demand for packaging is rapidly increasing among retailers and the food industry at large scale. The plastic which is available in market is very dangerous as it is nonbiodegradable. Therefore, it is the demand of the day that biodegradable plastics should be produced and used. This study investigates the production and optimization of PHB using Micrococcus luteus, a gram-positive bacterium known for its ability to synthesize PHB under suitable conditions. The research focuses on optimizing culture conditions, including the selection of carbon and nitrogen sources, pH, and temperature, to maximize PHB yield. Micrococcus luteus was cultured in a basal medium with different carbon sources (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose) and nitrogen sources (ammonium sulphate, peptone, yeast extract, urea). The optimal conditions were determined through systematic variation of pH (5 to 9) and temperature (20°C, 30°C, 40°C and 50ᵒC). This study will also spotlight Micrococcus luteus as a potential source for large scale production of PHB with reducing environmental pollutions. Thus, the bacterial mediated PHB synthesis can be used as a better alternative to deal with the currently available practices of plastic use.