Sustainable Production of Stiff and Crystalline Bacterial Cellulose from Orange Peel Extract

Abstract

In this work, a potentially economic and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus from a biomass containing orange peel extract was evaluated. Orange peel extract was used as a culture medium without any hydrolysis treatment, thus speeding up the synthesis procedure. The efficacy of orange peel as a carbon source was compared with that of sucrose. The orange peel extract formed thicker cellulose gels than those formed using sucrose. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed both a high crystallinity index and crystallite size of BC nanofibers in samples obtained from orange peel (BC_Orange). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a highly densely packed nanofibrous structure (50 nm in diameter). BC_Orange presented a two-fold increase in water holding capacity (WHC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed a 44% increase in storage modulus compared to sucrose derived BC. These results showed that the naturally available carbon sources derived from orange peel extract can be effectively used for BC production. The orange-based culture medium can be considered a profitable alternative to the generation of high-value products in a virtuous circular economy model.

Production and characterization of bacterial cellulose utilizing Iraqi vinegar’s mother pellicles

“…The average diameter of nanocrystals was 17-29 nm. These results are in line with numerous studies (Ahmed et al, 2023;Padmanabhan et al, 2022). EDS analysis was performed to detect and confirm the presence of the traces of mineral ions and elements present in the structure of bacterial cellulose.…”

Sustainable bacterial cellulose production by Achromobacter using mango peel waste

“…Güzel and Akpınar [ 33 ] reported that kiwi fruit peel hydrolysate was the higher for bacterial cellulose by Komagataeibacter hansenii GA2016 among other fruit peels. Padmanabhan, Lionetto, Nisi, Stoppa and Licciulli [ 34 ] produced crystalline bacterial cellulose by Gluconacetobacter xylinus using orange peel extract as a substrate. Likewise, orange peel extract was used for bacterial cellulose production by K. sucrofermentans DSM 15973.…”

Carboxymethylcellulose-Based Hydrogel Obtained from Bacterial Cellulose

“…In Figure 1 , the XRD pattern of pristine BC and synthesized CMC powders were reported. The crystalline peaks corresponding to cellulose I (2q 14.4 (101), 16.6 (101), and 22.6 (002)) were present in the BC sample [ 20 ]. The XRD patterns of CMC samples showed a decrease in crystallinity when the reaction time of BC in NaOH solution increases, caused by the separation of hydrogen bonds in cellulose [ 21 ].…”

“…BC pellicles were obtained by the fermentation process of the sweetened black tea with Gluconacetobacter xilinus strains, as reported in our previous work [ 20 ]. The culture medium was prepared by adding sucrose and tea bags to boiling water (1 L).…”