Investigation of bacteria from residues of São Paulo Zoo, about their ability to produce polyhdroxyalkanoates of medium chain lenght

• Grant number: 11/17493-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2011
• End date: September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Suzan Pantaroto de Vasconcellos
• Grantee: Vitor Baptista Ferrari
• Host Institution: Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (ZOO). Secretaria de Meio Ambiente, Infraestrutura e Logística (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has environments that represent true sources of biodiversity, although it is poorly unexplored. The Zoo Park Foundation of São Paulo (ZPFSP) is located at Atlantic Forest in area of 824.529 m², including the presence of animals from the entire world. As a form to attend environmental parameters, the ZPFSP created a composting unit in the park to give a destine to its organic residues. In this composting unit all of the composted residues are considered as biomass source which can has a microbial diversity with high biotechnological potential for different applications. In this sense, the aim of the present study is the isolation and evaluation of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates of medium chain (PHAs)MLC , from the composting unit installed at ZPFSP.