Rapid and direct compositional analysis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) in whole bacterial cells by thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation-gas chromatography.

Thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation-gas chromatography (THM-GC) in the presence of an organic alkali was applied to the direct analysis of copolymer composition for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-3HV)] accumulated in whole bacterial cells. Cupriavidus necator was grown on a liquid medium with different molar ratios of valeric acid (V) to glucose (G) in order to control the compositions of P(3HB-co-3HV) produced in the cells. Trace amounts (0.