Nile red staining protocol to quantify PHB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultivations v1

Nile red staining can be used to screen PHB producing microbes as it binds on the surface of PHA granules. This protocol has been modified from Spiekermann et al. (1999) (DOI 10.1007/s002030050681) and Zuriani et al. (2013) (DOI 10.1007/s12257-012-0607-z). We recommend three or four technical replicates for each sample. As a negative control you will need a strain that does not produce PHB or other PHAs as Nile red do not only bind to the surface of PHA granules, but also to other intracellular structures such as lipid droplets.