Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters synthesized by
numerous bacteria as intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds,
and are accumulated as granules in the cytoplasm of cells.
PHAs are considered as potential substitutes for conventional petrochemical
plastics because they have the combined features of
good biodegradability and comparable mechanical properties to
those of petroleum-derived thermoplastics (Sudesh et al., 2000).
Due to the potential applications in packaging, medical, agricultural
and fisheries (Rehm, 2006), PHA production by microorganisms
has drawn much attention in recent years.