Patent ID: 7045321

Claim:
A process for producing a polyhydroxyalkanoate having in the molecule a unit represented by Chemical Formula (1), the process comprising the step of preparing a culture medium containing at least one compound represented by Chemical Formula (14), and the step of culturing a microorganism in the culture medium wherein R is arbitrarily selected from a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, CN, NO 2 , COOR′, SO 2 R″, CH 3 , C 2 H 5 , C 3 H 7 , C(CH 3 ) 2 H and C(CH 3 ) 3 ; where R′ is H, Na, K, CH 3 or C 2 H 5 , and R″ is OH, ONa, OK, a halogen atom, OCH 3 or OC 2 H 5 ; and x may assume any one integral value within the range shown in the chemical formula wherein R is arbitrarily selected from a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, CN, NO 2 , COOR′, SO 2 R″, CH 3 , C 2 H 5 , C 3 H 7 , C(CH 3 ) 2 H and C(CH 3 ) 3 ; where R′ is H, Na, K, CH 3 or C 2 H 5 , and R″ is OH, ONa, OK, a halogen atom, OCH 3 or OC 2 H 5 ; and x is an integer arbitrarily selected from 1 to 8; with the proviso that a polyhydroxyalkanoate is excluded which has a hydrogen atom as R and x in all the units is 2 or 4.