was measured as 365 centipoise cp using a brookfield lvf viscometer brookfield engineering laboratories inc stoughton mass for solutions with viscosity less than 100 cp a no 1 spindle was used and for solutions with viscosity greater than 100 cp a no 2 spindle was used the solution was further diluted with additional butyl acetate to 4 and 3 polymer by weight total solution the resulting viscosities were found to be 150 cp and 40 cp respectively some of the 5 polymer solution in butyl acetate prepared above was subsequently diluted using hexane aldrich chemical co inc milwaukee wis to prepare a 4 5 4 3 4 1 and 3 9 solution by weight the viscosities of these solutions were measured as described above and determined to be 215 cp 37 5 cp 5 cp and 27 5 cp respectively the viscosities upon dilution of a 5 polymer solution in butyl acetate with additional butyl acetate pha solvent compared to dilution with hexane pha precipitant at room temperature are depicted in fig3 dilution with the precipitant has a non linear and desirable impact on reducing viscosity the increased viscosity observed with hexane dilution to 3 9 by weight polymer in solution coincided with polymer precipitation from solution at that level of hexane addition a recombinant e coli was used to produce poly 3 hydroxybutyrate co 4 hydroxybutyrate 30 4 hydroxybutyrate on a molar basis in a fed batch fermentation using glucose as the major carbon source at the completion of the fermentation the e coli cells had expanded in size to greater than 2 microns in at least one dimension the biomass accumulated 70 polymer on a dry weight basis.