Abstract: The present study explores the feasibility of the accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) under the presence of transient concentrations of added sodium chloride, by means of a mixed microbial culture (MMC). This culture was enriched on a mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) containing 0.8 g Na+/L, as NaOH. This MMC presented a maximum PHA accumulation capacity of 53 wt% with 27 Cmol% HV. Accumulation experiments performed with added NaCI at concentrations of 7, 13 and 20 g/L shown that this salt provoked a decrease of the biomass PHA production rate, with an IC50 value close to 7 g NaCl/L. The accumulated PHA was lower than the corresponding value of the assay without the addition of salt. Furthermore, the composition of the biopolymer, in terms of HB:HV ratio, changed from 2.71 to 6.37 Cmol/Cmol, which means a HV decrease between 27 and 14 Cmol%. Summarizing, the PHA accumulation by a MMC non-adapted to saline conditions affected the polymer composition and lead to lower production yields and rates than in absence of added NaCl. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.