Process optimisation and genomic analysis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production by Mycolicibacterium smegmatis using sugarcane bagasse

Abstract This study investigates the optimisation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production by Mycolicibacterium smegmatis using sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysate as a low-cost, renewable carbon source. Key fermentation parameters including temperature, pH, agitation, inoculum size and nitrogen supplementation were optimised to enhance biomass growth and PHB accumulation. Under optimised conditions (37 °C, pH 7, 100 rpm, 3% inoculum), M. smegmatis achieved a maximum PHB content of 64% of DCW