Microbial Production of Bacterial Cellulose Using Chestnut Shell Hydrolysates by <i>Gluconacetobacter xylinus</i> ATCC 53524
Jeongho Lee, Kang Hyun Lee, Seunghee Kim, Hyerim Son, Youngsang Chun, Chulhwan Park, Hah Young Yoo
Abstract
Bacterial cellulose (BC), a homopolymer of -1,4-linked glucose, is a biodegradable natural polymer produced by bacteria, including Gluconacetobacter, Azotobacter, and Pseudomonas When compared with plant cellulose (PC), BC is gaining popularity for environmental and product quality reasons. Deforestation, an essential process in producing PC-based products, reduces the ecosystem's ability to absorb existing carbon dioxide BC has outstanding properties, such as high-water absorption and retention capacity, high crystallinity and porosity, and strong biocompatibility In particular, the high purity of BC eliminates the need for conventional PC processing steps that remove other plant components (e.g., lignin) The global BC market was worth US$250 million in 2019 and is expected to rise to 570 million by the end of 2024 Despite expected growth trends in market size, the high cost of fermentation media for BC production (approximately 30% of total production cost) is identified as a limiting factor For the sustainable production of BC, it is necessary to use cost-effective media, such as biomass-derived media.