IDENTIFICATION OF CONTAMINATIONS IN CUPRIAVIDUS NECATOR CULTURES FOR PHB PRODUCTION USING IMAGE ANALYSIS

• Grant number: 25/00427-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Sá Freire Lamarca
• Grantee: Mattias Botto Alvarenga Tavares
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Climate change demands sustainable solutions that optimize industrial processes, such as bioplastic production. Cupriavidus necator, a Gram-negative bacterium, stands out as an efficient microorganism for the synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable biopolymer. However, contamination by Bacillus cereus compromises process efficiency, increasing costs and reducing product quality. The main objective of this study is to identify contamination in bacterial strains of Cupriavidus necator used for the production of biodegradable biopolymers through the analysis of stained bacterial slide images using the Gram staining technique. The images will be obtained via optical microscopy coupled with mobile devices. Two methods will be tested for bacterial distinction: the traditional image analysis method and an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method. In the AI-based method, an image database will be used to train the model to differentiate between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, enabling the automated identification of contaminated areas. After model development in each method, both will undergo a validation process. It is expected that the algorithm will optimize industrial PHB production by reducing losses and operational costs, with potential applications in other microbiological processes. This project contributes to industrial sustainability and the mitigation of environmental impacts. (AU)