Biosynthesis, Modification, and Biodegradation of Bacterial Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHAs), which have constituents with a typical chain length of C∧6-C∧14, are polyesters that are synthesized and accumulated in a wide variety of Gram-negative bacteria, mainly pseudomonads. These biopolyesters are promising materials for various applications because they have useful mechanical properties and are biodegradable and biocompatible. The versatile metabolic capacity of some Pseudomonas spp. enables them to synthesize MCL-PHAs that contain various functional substituents; these MCL-PHAs are of great interest because these functional groups can improve the physical properties of the polymers, allowing the creation of tailor-made products.