In situ modification of bacterial cellulose network structure by adding interfering substances during fermentation

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising biomaterial with unique properties.
• Improving BC's rehydration ability is crucial for various applications.
• Current methods for BC modification have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of additives on BC properties, focusing on rehydration.
• To explore in situ modification of BC during fermentation.
• To optimize BC for enhanced water retention.

Main Methods:

• Bacterial cellulose fermentation with additives: Tween 80, urea, fluorescent brightener, HPMC, and CMC.
• Mechanical strength testing of modified BC.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for structural analysis.
• X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR spectroscopy for crystallinity assessment.

Main Results:

• HPMC and CMC addition resulted in BC with the highest rehydration ability.
• Modified BC (HBC and CBC) showed reduced crystallinity (52.23% and 45.38%).
• SEM revealed altered cellulose network structures in modified BC, with shrunken voids for HBC and CBC.
• Mechanical strength generally declined, except for UBC.

Conclusions:

• In situ modification with HPMC and CMC effectively enhances BC rehydration.
• Reduced crystallinity and altered network structure are key to improved rehydration.
• This method offers a viable strategy for producing BC with superior water-holding properties.