Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) have been reported to suppress the formation of proteins that are necessary for microbial growth [39]. Under those conditions microorganisms are able to consume organic substrates by supplying energy via oxidative degradation of these organic substrates. If oxygen sup-ply is sufficient, the microorganisms are able to obtain sufficient energy for the production of proteins, glycogen and other cellular components with simultaneous consumption of organic substrates[40].[31].
In the present study, the effect of oxygen limitation(DO < 2 ppm), along with nitrogen absence in the medium, was examined in the production process of PHAs. It has been reported that in some strains such as Azotobacter beijerinckii, limitation of oxygen appears to significantly increase the production of PHB [41].
According to our findings, it seems that when dual nitrogen–oxygen limitation was applied, lower organic substrate consumption rates were obtained leading thus to lower rates of PHA biosynthesis as batch duration was extended in time(Figs. 2b and 3b). This phenomenon has also been observed by Lefebvre et al. [42] and the strain Alcaligenes eutrophus.
Most studies on the effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on PHAs production have been conducted using the microorganism A. beijerinckii [41,43–45]. In biopolymers production acetyl-CoA plays an important role. It can be either oxidized via the TCA cycle or used for PHAs biosynthesis. The followed pathway of acetyl-CoA consumption depends on the environmental conditions and especially on oxygen limitation because in that case the NADH/NAD ratio increases. The activities of citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase are inhibited by NADH and in return acetyl-CoA cannot participate to the same extent in the TCA cycle. Acetyl-CoA is then converted into acetoacetyl-CoA by 3-ketothiolase, which is the first essential enzyme for the biosynthesis of PHAs.