Bacterial Cellulose

Prof. U.Sivaumar
 Cellulose?
Most abundant earth biopolymer
The major component of plant biomass
Structural polysaccharide of plant cell wall
It occurs in almost pure form in cotton fibre at
98% in combination with lignin and
hemicellulose.
Most abundant form of living terrestrial biomass
 SOURCES OF CELLULOSE
1. Wood (40-50%)
2. Cotton (90%)
3. Dried hemp (45%)
4. Microbes (Varies)

1. Paper
USES OF CELLULOSE
2. Guncotton
3. Cellophane
4. Movie film
5. Frames
6. Toys
7. Cellulosic ethanol
 BACTERIAL CELLULOSE
Glucanoacetobacter xylinum
(old name: Acetobacter xylinum)

Gram-negative - aerobic bacterium - produce cellulose

pellicle - primary metabolism.

Non-pathogenic cellulose producing food grade bacterium

- Cellulose is recognized by the FDA as edible

Bacterial cellulose (BC) - air liquid interface of sugary rich

medium - nata

Nata - organic high dietary fiber food product

 Properties of bacterial
cellulose
Chemical structure of BC – similar to plant cellulose.

Free of lignin and hemicellulose

High tensile strength crystalline cellulose

Diameter of BC is 1/100 of plant cellulose and Young's modulus of BC

is almost equivalent to Al.

Diameter of BC fibrils are 3-4 nm

FORMATION OF CELLULOSIC PELLICLE

• HS medium

A B

HS MCLE A - BC from HS medium

medium medium B – BC from MCLE medium
Wet bacterial cellulosic mat Dried sheet of bacterial cellulose
 APPLICATIONS OF BACTERIAL
CELLULOSE
High fidelity speaker diaphragms

Binder in pulp and high end paper

Wound care products, tissue grafts

Thickeners, stabilizers in paints, adhesives

Organic high dietary fibre – nata

Immobilisation material

Supra absorbent pads in surgery

Food
• The oldest known use of bacterial cellulose is as the raw material of nata de coco, a
traditional chewy, translucent, jelly-like foodstuff produced by the fermentation of coconut
water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinum.
• It has also been used as a thickener to maintain the viscosity in food and as a stabilizing
agent. Due to its texture and fiber content, it has been added to many food products as
a dietary fiber. A specific example is Cellulon ®, which is a bulking agent used as a food
ingredient to act as a thickener, texturizer, and/or calorie reducer.
• Microbial cellulose has also been used as an additive in diet beverages
in Japan since 1992, specifically kombucha, a healthy tea based drink .
 What is Kombucha
culture?

Kombucha - product of Acetobacter xylinum

symbiotic growth of bacteria Acetobacter xylinoides
and yeast on sugared tea. Bacterium gluconicum
Schizosaccharomyces
pombe
Saccharomycodes ludwigii
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Bacterial cellulose or Kombucha
Kombucha or Manchurian tea – popular
beverage produced by growth of bacteria
- Acetobacter xylinum
Kombucha/bacterial cellulose/ nata is recognized
by the FDA as edible.
Acetobacter is a non-pathogenic cellulose
producing food grade bacterium. The major
component - nata - cellulose

Acetobacter xylinum (sju-1)

• Gram negative - rod
• Tea fungus
It is being tested in the textile
industry, with the possibility of
manufacturing cellulose based
clothing
www.snipview.com

Biofiber bio cellulose microbial

cellulose disposable face facial sheet

www.alibaba.com
BIOCELLULOSE MEMBRANE IN HEADPHONES

The ‘worlds first’ bio-cellulose

membrane transducer of some Sony
headphones a number of years ago.
Biocellulose is actually grown by
special bacteria, and then treated to be
suitable for manufacturing. The end
result is a material perfect for
speakers that is about as stiff as
aluminum, but quite a bit lighter, to
keep distortion to a minimum. Having
bacteria grow your parts is novel, but
probably not the quickest nor the most
cost effective
Paper from bacterial cellulose Due to microbial cellulose's
higher purity and microfibril structure, it may prove to be an excellent candidate for an
electronic paper substrate. Microbial cellulose can be fashioned into sheets approximately
100 micrometers thick, about the thickness of normal paper, by a wet synthesis process.
In papermaking, it is used as an ultra-strength paper and as a reticulated fine fibre
network with coating, binding, thickening and suspending characteristics.
MEDICAL USES
• The microbial cellulose molds very well to
the surface of the skin, providing a
conformal covering even in usually
difficult places to dress wounds, such as
areas on the face.
• Another microbial cellulose commercial
treatment product is XCell produced by
the Xylos Corporation, which is mainly
used to treat wounds from venous ulcers.
• In addition to increasing the drying time
and water holding abilities, liquid
medicines were able to be absorbed by the
microbial cellulose coated gauze, allowing
them to work at the injury site
www.intechopen.com
• Axcelon leverages
bacterial cellulose
• expertise with
Nanoderm launch

• It has been tested and

successfully used as a biotuesdays.com
wound dressing,
especially in burn cases.
• Microbial cellulose
products, such as Biofill
®, Dermafill®, have
been developed.
www.dermafill.com
 High strength
membranes

High dietary fibre

nata

Kombucha extract for vinegar production

 Productivity - 200 g l-1
Tube of bacterial nanocellulose designed by a matrix technology
and presented on a red glass rod, which symbolizes the blood
flow when the tube is used as a blood-vessel substitute; inner
diameter: 6 mm, length: 15 cm
BNC tube used as a long-segment vascular graft (5 cm) for the right carotid artery
of a sheep (courtesy: Priv.-Doz. Dr. J. Wippermann, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital
Cologne, Germany).
Microbial cellulose is biocompatible and non-toxic, making it a good candidate material for medical
applications. So far it has found a commercial role in some wound dressings. There is on-going research
to evaluate a possible role for bacterial cellulose in the following applications:
• Scaffolds for tissue engineering
• Synthetic dura mater
• Bladder neck suspension
• Soft tissue replacement
• Artificial blood vessels