FLUOROMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF POLY-BETA HYDROXYBUTYRATE IN ALCALIGENES-EUTROPHUS BY FLOW-CYTOMETRY AND SPECTROFLUOROMETRY

Two fluorometric assays for the determination of poly-beta-hydroxybuty rate (PHB) inside intact cells are presented in this paper, a spectrof fuorometric method and one based on a laser flow cytometer. The princi ples of these assays are given, and the results of these methods are c ompared with those of a gas chromatographic assay. All assays were use d for the monitoring of batch cultivations of Alcaligenes eutrophus. T he correlation between all methods was very good; however, the fluorom etric analysis was the fastest, while the cytometric assay gave a dire ct insight into the PHB distribution over the population.