Biopolyesters
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Part of the Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology book series (ABE, volume 71)
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Introduction
Living systems synthesize seven different classes of polymers. They provide structure and form for cells and organisms, function as catalysts and energy storage and carry the genetic information. All these polymers possess technically interesting properties. Some of these biopolymers are already used commercially. This special volume of Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology comprises 10 chapters. It gives an overview of the water insoluble biopolyesters, in particular of the microbially synthesized poly-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family. It reports the state of the art of metabolism, regulation and genetic background, the latest advances made in genetic optimization of bacteria, "construction" of transgenic plants and in vitro synthesis by means of purified enzymes. Furthermore, it describes relevant technologies and evaluates perspectives concerning increasing the economic viability and competitiveness of PHA and discusses applications in medicine, packaging, food and other fields.
Keywords
Biopolymer Fermentation Polyester Polyhydroxyalkanoate biotechnology enzymes metabolism microorganism physiology polymer transgen
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Bibliographic information
- DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-40021-4
- Copyright Information Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001
- Publisher Name Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
- eBook Packages Springer Book Archive
- Print ISBN 978-3-540-41141-3
- Online ISBN 978-3-540-40021-9
- Series Print ISSN 0724-6145
- About this book