Production of bacterial cellulose biopolymers in media containing rice and corn hydrolysate as carbon sources

Abstract

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising option for ecologically viable processes. In this work, BC was produced using starch hydrolysate (rice and corn flakes) as carbon sources. The starch was hydrolyzed by fungus for glucose production. A maximum yield of 2.80 ± 0.43 g/L of BC was obtained with the hydrolyzed rice medium. Moreover, BC produced in the rice and corn media had crystallinity of around 50%. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry confirmed the functional groups in BC as well as the absence of contaminants from production process. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the polymers formed with alternative media had greater thermal stability. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a morphological structure with the random arrangement of nanofibrils in a non-uniform manner distributed in the weave of both polymeric films. The biofilms produced in different media had similar properties to those of films obtained with a conventional medium, revealing that the polymeric characteristics are not modified.