Optimization of Microbial Cellulose Production by the Newly Isolated Acetobacter sp. DR-1 under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant natural biopolymer on the earth, synthesized by plants, algae and also some species of bacteria. It is also produced by some animals (e.g., tunicates).Cellulose constitutes one of the three principal components present in plant, namely cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. However, the degree of polymerization and crystallinity of bacterial cellulose is considerable high than that of plant cellulose. In microbes, cellulose is normally produced as exo-polysaccharide, Achromobacter, Aerobacter, Agrobacterium, Azotobacter, Gluconacetobacter (formerly Acetobacter), Rhizobium, Salmonella and Sarcina are some of the bacterial genera that are known to produce cellulose extra-cellularly. The microbial cellulose has got plenty of applications in the food industry [1-3]. Microbial cellulose promises to have many new applications in wound care that extend beyond burn applications including, but not limited to, the following: surgical wounds, bedsores, ulcers, tissue and organ engineering.  The objective of this work was to produce low cost environmentally friendly cellulose. Cellulose producing bacteria was isolated from the temple wash water and were identified and characterized by microbiological methods. The production parameters were optimized and laboratory scale cellulose was produced, purified and quantified.