CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYHYDROXYBUTYRATE SYNTHESIZED BY BACILLUS CEREUS

Objectives: To characterize the Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) produced from Bacillus cereus using various instrumental methods and reduce them to the nanoscale which can be used as drug carrierMethods: The isolated bacterium was identified by 16S rDNA analysis. PHB produced by the bacterium was extracted by a process using boiling chloroform followed by methanol which selectively precipitates PHA. The polymer produced was analyzed using various instrumental techniques like FTIR, GC-MS, 1Hand 13C NMR, XRD and FESEM. This biogenic PHB has been reduced to nanospheres which were analyzed by FESEM.Results: A bacterium with the ability to produced PHB was isolated from the cloth used to smear oil on pan cake pan which was identified as Bacillus cereus by 16S rDNA analysis. The organism was capable of accumulating 1.19 g L-1 of PHA corresponding to 49.7% of its dry weight after 48 h of incubation. The polymer produced was analyzed using various instrumental techniques which identified the polymer as PHB.Conclusion: The organism seems to be a potential candidate for the biogenic synthesis of PHB which can find application as drug carrier.Â