Biotropic liquid crystal phase transformations in cellulose-producing bacterial communities.

Biological functionality is often enabled by a fascinating variety of physical phenomena that emerge from orientational order of building blocks, a defining property of nematic liquid crystals that is also pervasive in nature. Out-of-equilibrium, "living" analogs of these technological materials are found in biological embodiments ranging from myelin sheath of neurons to extracellular matrices of bacterial biofilms and cuticles of beetles. However, physical underpinnings behind manifestations of orientational order in biological systems often remain unexplored. For example, while nematiclike birefringent domains of biofilms are found in many bacterial systems, the physics behind their formation is rarely known. Here, using cellulose-synthesizing Acetobacter xylinum bacteria, we reveal how biological activity leads to orientational ordering in fluid and gel analogs of these soft matter systems, both in water and on solid agar, with a topological defect found between the domains. Furthermore, the nutrient feeding direction plays a role like that of rubbing of confining surfaces in conventional liquid crystals, turning polydomain organization within the biofilms into a birefringent monocrystal-like order of both the extracellular matrix and the rod-like bacteria within it. We probe evolution of scalar orientational order parameters of cellulose nanofibers and bacteria associated with fluid-gel and isotropic-nematic transformations, showing how highly ordered active nematic fluids and gels evolve with time during biological-activity-driven, disorder-order transformation. With fluid and soft-gel nematics observed in a certain range of biological activity, this mesophase-exhibiting system is dubbed "biotropic," analogously to thermotropic nematics that exhibit solely orientational order within a temperature range, promising technological and fundamental-science applications.

Overproduction of bacterial cellulose from Acetobacter xylinum BPR2001 using food industries wastes.

In this study, a cost-effective complex culture media containing molasses and corn steep liquor (CSL) was developed for the high production of bacterial cellulose (BC) by investigating the effect of four effective factors on BC production at three levels using Taguchi and combined methods. The predicted and actual values of BC production in optimal conditions by Taguchi and combined methods were 8.41 and 14.52 g/L, respectively. These results showed that the combined method was more suitable for predicting the optimal conditions in the optimization of BC production, the cost of developed culture medium was around 94% cost of HS medium preparation, molasses was the most effective factor in both experimental design methods, and initial pH adjustment had little impact on BC production. Then, the effect of inoculation conditions containing three factors of inoculation age, ethanol addition time, and agitation rate on the increase of BC production at three levels was investigated using the response surface methodology with the Box-Behnken design algorithm. Under the optimal conditions including inoculum age of 3 days, ethanol addition time of 10 days, and stirring speed of 100 rpm, the predicted and experimental results of BC production were 21.61 and 20.21 g/L, respectively. This is among the highest ever reported for BC production, which was achieved with a more cost-effective culture medium containing molasses and CSL.

Development of a bacterial cellulose-gelatin composite as a suitable scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering.

PURPOSE: Cardiac tissue engineering is suggested as a promising approach to overcome problems associated with impaired myocardium. This is the first study to investigate the use of BC and gelatin for cardiomyocyte adhesion and growth. METHODS: Bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes were produced by Komagataeibacter xylinus and coated or mixed with gelatin to make gelatin-coated BC (BCG) or gelatin-mixed BC (mBCG) scaffolds, respectively. BC based-scaffolds were characterized via SEM, FTIR, XRD, and AFM. Neonatal rat-ventricular cardiomyocytes (nr-vCMCs) were cultured on the scaffolds to check the capability of the composites for cardiomyocyte attachment, growth and expansion. RESULTS: The average nanofibrils diameter in all scaffolds was suitable (~ 30-65 nm) for nr-vCMCs culture. Pore diameter (≥ 10 µm), surface roughness (~ 182 nm), elastic modulus (0.075 ± 0.015 MPa) in mBCG were in accordance with cardiomyocyte requirements, so that mBCG could better support attachment of nr-vCMCs with high concentration of gelatin, and appropriate surface roughness. Also, it could better support growth and expansion of nr-vCMCs due to submicron scale of nanofibrils and proper elasticity (~ 0.075 MPa). The viability of nr-vCMCs on BC and BCG scaffolds was very low even at day 2 of culture (~ ≤ 40%), but, mBCG could promote a metabolic active state of nr-vCMCs until day 7 (~ ≥ 50%). CONCLUSION: According to our results, mBCG scaffold was the most suitable composite for cardiomyocyte culture, regarding its physicochemical and cell characteristics. It is suggested that improvement in mBCG stability and cell attachment features may provide a convenient scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering.

Effects of bacterial cellulose/thyme essential oil emulsion coating on the shelf life of chilled chicken meat.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a fiber substance produced by microbial fermentation. It is widely used in the food preservation industry because of its extremely pure texture, high crystallinity and high biocompatibility. In the present study, bacterial cellulose/thyme essential oil (BC/TEO-E) with antibacterial and fresh-keeping functions was prepared by ultrasonic treatment of modified bacterial cellulose for encapsulation of thyme essential oil, which effectively inhibited the spoilage of chilled chicken. RESULTS: The purified BC, produced by Acetobacter xylinum ATCC 53524, was ultrasonically treated wih different times (0, 30, 60 and 90 min). Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and zeta potential were used to characterize the structure of BC after ultrasound, showing that BC, treated for 30 min, had the optimal fiber structure, crystallinity (85.8%), thermal stability (347.77 °C) and solution stability (-26.63 ± 1.96 mV). BC/TEO-E was prepared by a homogenizer for the preservation of chilled chicken. Optical microscopy indicated that the BC/TEO-E prepared by 0.5% BC had optimal dispersion and stability, and even no delamination was observed in the emulsion. Compared with other groups (control, 0.5% BC and Tween-E), the total number of colonies and coliforms in chilled chicken treated with 0.5% BC/TEO-E was the lowest during the whole storage period (12 days), indicating that it can effectively inhibit bacterial growth. In addition, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, pH and drip loss results showed that 0.5% BC/TEO-E could effectively inhibit the spoilage of chilled chicken compared to the other treatment groups. CONCLUSION: All of the results acquired in the present study indicate that BC/TEO-E has a potential application in chilled chicken preservation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Deconstruction of biomass enabled by local demixing of cosolvents at cellulose and lignin surfaces.

A particularly promising approach to deconstructing and fractionating lignocellulosic biomass to produce green renewable fuels and high-value chemicals pretreats the biomass with organic solvents in aqueous solution. Here, neutron scattering and molecular-dynamics simulations reveal the temperature-dependent morphological changes in poplar wood biomass during tetrahydrofuran (THF):water pretreatment and provide a mechanism by which the solvent components drive efficient biomass breakdown. Whereas lignin dissociates over a wide temperature range (>25 °C) cellulose disruption occurs only above 150 °C. Neutron scattering with contrast variation provides direct evidence for the formation of THF-rich nanoclusters (Rg ∼ 0.5 nm) on the nonpolar cellulose surfaces and on hydrophobic lignin, and equivalent water-rich nanoclusters on polar cellulose surfaces. The disassembly of the amphiphilic biomass is thus enabled through the local demixing of highly functional cosolvents, THF and water, which preferentially solvate specific biomass surfaces so as to match the local solute polarity. A multiscale description of the efficiency of THF:water pretreatment is provided: matching polarity at the atomic scale prevents lignin aggregation and disrupts cellulose, leading to improvements in deconstruction at the macroscopic scale.

Endosidin20-1 is more potent than endosidin20 in inhibiting plant cellulose biosynthesis and molecular docking analysis of cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors on modeled cellulose synthase structure.

Endosidin20 (ES20) is a recently identified cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor (CBI) that targets the catalytic site of plant cellulose synthase (CESA). Here, we screened over 600 ES20 analogs and identified nine active analogs named ES20-1 to ES20-9. Among these, endosidin20-1 (ES20-1) had stronger inhibitory effects on plant growth and cellulose biosynthesis than ES20. At the biochemical level, we demonstrated that ES20-1, like ES20, directly interacts with CESA6. At the cellular level, this molecule, like ES20, induced the accumulation of cellulose synthase complexes at the Golgi apparatus and inhibited their secretion to the plasma membrane. Like ES20, ES20-1 likely targets the catalytic site of CESA. However, through molecular docking analysis using a modeled structure of full-length CESA6, we found that both ES20 and ES20-1 might have another target site at the transmembrane regions of CESA6. Besides ES20, other CBIs such as isoxaben, C17, and flupoxam are widely used tools to dissect the mechanism of cellulose biosynthesis and are also valuable resources for the development of herbicides. Here, based on mutant genetic analysis and molecular docking analysis, we have identified the potential target sites of these CBIs on a modeled CESA structure. Some bacteria also produce cellulose, and both ES20 and ES20-1 inhibited bacterial cellulose biosynthesis. Therefore, we conclude that ES20-1 is a more potent analog of ES20 that inhibits intrinsic cellulose biosynthesis in plants, and both ES20 and ES20-1 show an inhibitory effect on bacterial growth and cellulose synthesis, making them excellent tools for exploring the mechanisms of cellulose biosynthesis across kingdoms.

Enhancing bacterial cellulose production with hypoxia-inducible factors.

Komagataeibacter xylinus is an aerobic strain that produces bacterial cellulose (BC). Oxygen levels play a critical role in regulating BC synthesis in K. xylinus, and an increase in oxygen tension generally means a decrease in BC production. Fumarate nitrate reduction protein (FNR) and aerobic respiration control protein A (ArcA) are hypoxia-inducible factors, which can signal whether oxygen is present in the environment. In this study, FNR and ArcA were used to enhance the efficiency of oxygen signaling in K. xylinus, and globally regulate the transcription of the genome to cope with hypoxic conditions, with the goal of improving growth and BC production. FNR and ArcA were individually overexpressed in K. xylinus, and the engineered strains were cultivated under different oxygen tensions to explore how their overexpression affects cellular metabolism and regulation. Although FNR overexpression did not improve BC production, ArcA overexpression increased BC production by 24.0% and 37.5% as compared to the control under oxygen tensions of 15% and 40%, respectively. Transcriptome analysis showed that FNR and ArcA overexpression changed the way K. xylinus coped with oxygen tension changes, and that both FNR and ArcA overexpression enhanced the BC synthesis pathway. The results of this study provide a new perspective on the effect of oxygen signaling on growth and BC production in K. xylinus and suggest a promising strategy for enhancing BC production through metabolic engineering. KEY POINTS: • K. xylinus BC production increased after overexpression of ArcA • The young's modulus is enhanced by the ArcA overexpression • ArcA and FNR overexpression changed how cells coped with changes in oxygen tension.

Application of an Intelligent Sensor and Active Packaging System Based on the Bacterial Cellulose of Acetobacter xylinum to Meat Products.

Combining intelligent and active packaging serves the dual purpose of detecting color changes in food that reflect changes in its quality and prolonging its shelf life. This study developed an intelligent and active packaging system made from the cellulose of Acetobacter xylinum and assessed its ability to detect changes in the quality and to increase shelf-life of packaged fresh beef. The properties of the intelligent packaging's sensor and active packaging films were determined. The application of this system to fresh beef stored at room temperature (28 ± 2 °C) for 24 h was tested. The color of the bromothymol blue (BTB) solution (pH 2.75) in the indicator of the intelligent packaging system changed from orange to dark green to indicate that beef quality changed from fresh to rotten. The meat treated with the active packaging with 10% and 15% garlic extract decayed on the 16th h. In contrast, the meat treated with the active packaging without the garlic extracts rotted on the 12th h. The shift in the indicator's color was linearly related to the total plate count (TPC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and pH of the meat packaged using the active packaging system. Therefore, BTB solution (pH 2.75) can be used as an intelligent packaging indicator that will allow consumers to assess the quality of packaged meat easily. As an antimicrobial agent, the addition of 10-15% garlic extract to the active packaging films can help delay the spoilage of packaged beef.

Characterization of the Putative Acylated Cellulose Synthase Operon in Komagataeibacter xylinus E25.

Bacterial cellulose is a natural polymer with an expanding array of applications. Because of this, the main cellulose producers of the Komagataeibacter genus have been extensively studied with the aim to increase its synthesis or to customize its physicochemical features. Up to now, the genetic studies in Komagataeibacter have focused on the first cellulose synthase operon (bcsI) encoding the main enzyme complex. However, the role of other accessory cellulose operons has been understudied. Here we aimed to fill this gap by performing a detailed analysis of the second cellulose synthase operon (bcsII), which is putatively linked with cellulose acylation. In this study we harnessed the genome sequence, gene expression and protein structure information of K. xylinus E25 and other Komagataeibacter species to discuss the probable features of bcsII and the biochemical function of its main protein products. The results of our study support the previous hypothesis that bcsII is involved in the synthesis of the acylated polymer and expand it by presenting the evidence that it may also function in the regulation of its attachment to the cell surface and to the crystalline cellulose fibers.

Structure of the Bacterial Cellulose Ribbon and Its Assembly-Guiding Cytoskeleton by Electron Cryotomography.

Cellulose is a widespread component of bacterial biofilms, where its properties of exceptional water retention, high tensile strength, and stiffness prevent dehydration and mechanical disruption of the biofilm. Bacteria in the genus Gluconacetobacter secrete crystalline cellulose, with a structure very similar to that found in plant cell walls. How this higher-order structure is produced is poorly understood. We used cryo-electron tomography and focused-ion-beam milling of native bacterial biofilms to image cellulose-synthesizing Gluconacetobacter hansenii and Gluconacetobacter xylinus bacteria in a frozen-hydrated, near-native state. We confirm previous results suggesting that cellulose crystallization occurs serially following its secretion along one side of the cell, leading to a cellulose ribbon that can reach several micrometers in length and combine with ribbons from other cells to form a robust biofilm matrix. We were able to take direct measurements in a near-native state of the cellulose sheets. Our results also reveal a novel cytoskeletal structure, which we have named the cortical belt, adjacent to the inner membrane and underlying the sites where cellulose is seen emerging from the cell. We found that this structure is not present in other cellulose-synthesizing bacterial species, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Escherichia coli 1094, which do not produce organized cellulose ribbons. We therefore propose that the cortical belt holds the cellulose synthase complexes in a line to form higher-order cellulose structures, such as sheets and ribbons.IMPORTANCE This work's relevance for the microbiology community is twofold. It delivers for the first time high-resolution near-native snapshots of Gluconacetobacter spp. (previously Komagataeibacter spp.) in the process of cellulose ribbon synthesis, in their native biofilm environment. It puts forward a noncharacterized cytoskeleton element associated with the side of the cell where the cellulose synthesis occurs. This represents a step forward in the understanding of the cell-guided process of crystalline cellulose synthesis, studied specifically in the Gluconacetobacter genus and still not fully understood. Additionally, our successful attempt to use cryo-focused-ion-beam milling through biofilms to image the cells in their native environment will drive the community to use this tool for the morphological characterization of other studied biofilms.

The production of bacterial cellulose in Gluconacetobacter xylinus regulated by luxR overexpression of quorum sensing system.

Quorum sensing is a mechanism that facilitates cell-to-cell communication. Through signal molecular density for signal recognition, which leads to the regulation of some physiological and biochemical functions. Gluconacetobacter xylinus CGMCC 2955, which produces bacterial cellulose (BC), synthesizes the LuxR protein belonging to the LuxI/LuxR type QS system. Here, a luxR overexpression vector was transformed into G. xylinus CGMCC 2955. The overexpression of luxR increased the yield of BC by 15.6% after 16 days static culture and reduced the cell density by 15.5% after 120-h-agitated culture. The glucose was used up by G. xylinus-pMV24-luxR at 72-h-agitated fermentation, which 12 h earlier than the wild-type (WT). The total N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHL) content of the luxR-overexpressing strain and the WT strain attained 1367.9 ± 57.86 mg/L and 842.9 ± 54.22 mg/L, respectively. The C12-HSL and C14-HSL contents of G. xylinus-pMV24-luxR were 202 ± 21.66 mg/L and 409.6 ± 0.91 mg/L, which were significantly lower than that of WT. In contrast, C6-HSL showed opposite results. The difference of AHL content proved that overexpression of luxR improved the binding of AHL and showed preference for some specific AHL. The metabolic results demonstrated that upon glucose exhaustion, the consumption of gluconic acid was promoted by luxR overexpression, and the content of D- ( +)-trehalose, an antiretrograde metabolite, increased significantly. KEY POINTS: • The overexpression of luxR increased the yield of bacterial cellulose • The content of signal molecules was significantly different • Differential metabolites were involved in multiple metabolic pathways.

Physical and antibacterial properties of bacterial cellulose films supplemented with cell-free supernatant enterocin-producing Enterococcus faecium TJUQ1.

In this study, a composite film was prepared with bacterial cellulose (BC) of Gluconacetobacter xylinus and cell-free supernatant (CFS) of Enterococcus faecium TJUQ1, which was named BC-E. The optimum conditions for the preparation of the composite film with a minimal antibacterial activity were the soak of BC in 80 AU/mL CFS for 6 h. By scanning electron microscope observation, the surface network structure of BC-E was denser than that of BC. The tensile strength of BC and BC-E was 4.65 ± 0.88 MPa and 16.30 ± 0.92 MPa, the elongation at break of BC and BC-E was 3.33 ± 0.89% and 31.60 ± 1.15%, respectively, indicating the mechanical properties of BC-E were significantly higher than that of BC (P < 0.05). The swelling ratio of BC-E (456.67 ± 7.20%) was lower than that of BC (1377.78 ± 9.07%), demonstrating BC-E films presented better water resistance. BC-E films were soaked with 320 AU/mL CFS, and then used to pack the ground meat with 6.55 log10 CFU/g of Listeria monocytogenes. After 8 days of storage, the number of bacteria decreased by 3.16 log10 CFU/g. Similarly, total mesophilic bacterial levels in the ground meat decreased by 2.41 log10 CFU/g compared to control groups.

Design, construction and optimization a flexible bench-scale rotating biological contactor (RBC) for enhanced production of bacterial cellulose by Acetobacter Xylinium.

In this research a bench scale rotating biological contactor (RBC) was designed and constructed to produce BC. The effects of variables including rotation speed of the disk, distance between disks, disk type and external aeration on BC productivity were investigated. Results showed that the highest weight of BC produced on the surface of integrated polyethylene discs which rotated at 13 rpm. It was also found that the highest amount of BC was obtained when the space between two adjacent discs was adjusted to 1 cm and the disk number was 16. An aquarium pump was used to investigate the impact of aeration on RBC made of 12 integrated polyethylene discs and operated at optimal rotation speed of 13 rpm. Disk spacing distance was adjusted to 1.5 cm to consider the possible increasing of the thickness of BC film by aeration. Wet weight and dry weight of BC resulted from aerated fermentation increased more than 64 and 47%, respectively as compared to non-aerated RBC. In comparison with static culture, wet weight and dry weight of BC produced in aerated RBC fermentation increased more than 90.7 and 71%, respectively. Nanoscale structure of produced bacterial cellulose was confirmed by SEM analysis.

Bacterial Cellulose: Production, Characterization, and Application as Antimicrobial Agent.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is recognized as a multifaceted, versatile biomaterial with abundant applications. Groups of microorganisms such as bacteria are accountable for BC synthesis through static or agitated fermentation processes in the presence of competent media. In comparison to static cultivation, agitated cultivation provides the maximum yield of the BC. A pure cellulose BC can positively interact with hydrophilic or hydrophobic biopolymers while being used in the biomedical domain. From the last two decades, the reinforcement of biopolymer-based biocomposites and its applicability with BC have increased in the research field. The harmony of hydrophobic biopolymers can be reduced due to the high moisture content of BC in comparison to hydrophilic biopolymers. Mechanical properties are the important parameters not only in producing green composite but also in dealing with tissue engineering, medical implants, and biofilm. The wide requisition of BC in medical as well as industrial fields has warranted the scaling up of the production of BC with added economy. This review provides a detailed overview of the production and properties of BC and several parameters affecting the production of BC and its biocomposites, elucidating their antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy with an insight to highlight their therapeutic potential.

Optimized culture conditions for bacterial cellulose production by Acetobacter senegalensis MA1.

BACKGROUND: Cellulose, the most versatile biomolecule on earth, is available in large quantities from plants. However, cellulose in plants is accompanied by other polymers like hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin. On the other hand, pure cellulose can be produced by some microorganisms, with the most active producer being Acetobacter xylinum. A. senengalensis is a gram-negative, obligate aerobic, motile coccus, isolated from Mango fruits in Senegal, capable of utilizing a variety of sugars and produce cellulose. Besides, the production is also influenced by other culture conditions. Previously, we isolated and identified A. senengalensis MA1, and characterized the bacterial cellulose (BC) produced. RESULTS: The maximum cellulose production by A. senengalensis MA1 was pre-optimized for different parameters like carbon, nitrogen, precursor, polymer additive, pH, temperature, inoculum concentration, and incubation time. Further, the pre-optimized parameters were pooled, and the best combination was analyzed by using Central Composite Design (CCD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Maximum BC production was achieved with glycerol, yeast extract, and PEG 6000 as the best carbon and nitrogen sources, and polymer additive, respectively, at 4.5 pH and an incubation temperature of 33.5 °C. Around 20% of inoculum concentration gave a high yield after 30 days of inoculation. The interactions between culture conditions optimized by CCD included alterations in the composition of the HS medium with 50 mL L- 1 of glycerol, 7.50 g L- 1 of yeast extract at pH 6.0 by incubating at a temperature of 33.5 °C along with 7.76 g L- 1 of PEG 6000. This gave a BC yield of wet weight as 469.83 g L- 1. CONCLUSION: The optimized conditions of growth medium resulted in enhanced production of bacterial cellulose by A. senegalensis MA1, which is around 20 times higher than that produced using an unoptimized HS medium. Further, the cellulose produced can be used in food and pharmaceuticals, for producing high-quality paper, wound dressing material, and nanocomposite films for food packaging.

Tailoring bacterial cellulose structure through CRISPR interference-mediated downregulation of galU in Komagataeibacter xylinus CGMCC 2955.

Diverse applications of bacterial cellulose (BC) have different requirements in terms of its structural characteristics. culturing Komagataeibacter xylinus CGMCC 2955, BC structure changes with alterations in oxygen tension. Here, the K. xylinus CGMCC 2955 transcriptome was analyzed under different oxygen tensions. Transcriptome and genome analysis indicated that BC structure is related to the rate of BC synthesis and cell growth, and galU is an essential gene that controls the carbon metabolic flux between the BC synthesis pathway and the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway. The CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system was utilized in K. xylinus CGMCC 2955 to control the expression levels of galU. By overexpressing galU and interfering with different sites of galU sequences using CRISPRi, we obtained strains with varying expression levels of galU (3.20-3014.84%). By testing the characteristics of BC, we found that the porosity of BC (range: 62.99-90.66%) was negative with galU expression levels. However, the crystallinity of BC (range: 56.25-85.99%) was positive with galU expression levels; galU expression levels in engineered strains were lower than those in the control strains. Herein, we propose a new method for regulating the structure of BC to provide a theoretical basis for its application in different fields.

Effect of Atomized Delivery of Nutrients on the Growth Characteristics and Microstructure Morphology of Bacterial Cellulose.

This work demonstrates a general strategy for introducing remarkable changes in matrix organization and, consequently, functional properties of bacterial cellulose (BC). BC-producing cells were induced, using a well-defined atomized droplet nutrient delivery (ADND) system, to form pellicles with a regular layered morphology that persists throughout the mat depth. In contrast, the morphology of mats formed by conventional static medium nutrient delivery (SMND) is irregular with no distinguishable pattern. ADND also resulted in larger meso-scale average pore sizes but did not alter the fibril diameter (∼70 nm) and crystallinity index (92-95%). The specific modulus and specific tensile strength of ADND mats are higher than those of SMND mats. This is due to the regularity of dense layers that are present in ADND mats that are able to sustain tensile loads, when applied parallel to these layers. The density of BC films prepared by ADND is 1.63-fold lower than that of the SMND BC film. Consequently, the water contents (g/g) of ADND- and SMND-prepared BC mats are 263 ± 8.85 and 99.6 ± 2.04, respectively. A model that rationalizes differences in mat morphology resulting from these nutrient delivery methods based on nutrient and oxygen concentration gradients is proposed. This work raises questions as to the extent that ADND can be used to fine-tune the matrix morphology and how the resulting lower density mats will alter the diffusion of actives from the films to wound sites and increase the ability of cells to infiltrate the matrix during tissue engineering.

Synthesis and SERS application of gold and iron oxide functionalized bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (Au@Fe3O4@BCNCs).

Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) are biocompatible cellulose nanomaterials that can host guest nanoparticles to form hybrid nanocomposites with a wide range of applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of a hybrid nanocomposite that consists of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles supported on BCNCs. As a proof of concept, the hybrid nanocomposites were employed to isolate and detect malachite green isothiocyanate (MGITC) via magnetic separation and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Different initial gold precursor (Au3+) concentrations altered the size and morphology of the AuNPs formed on the nanocomposites. The use of 5 and 10 mM Au3+ led to a heterogenous mix of spherical and nanoplate AuNPs with increased SERS enhancements, as compared to the more uniform AuNPs formed using 1 mM Au3+. Rapid and sensitive detection of MGITC at concentrations as low as 10-10 M was achieved. The SERS intensity of the normalized Raman peak at 1175 cm-1 exhibited a log-linear relationship for MGITC concentrations between 2 × 10-10 and 2 × 10-5 M for Au@Fe3O4@BCNCs. These results suggest the potential of these hybrid nanocomposites for application in a broad range of analyte detection strategies.

Production and characterization of bacterial cellulose obtained by Gluconacetobacter xylinus utilizing the by-products from Baijiu production.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has extensive application prospects in many fields in view of its unique characteristics. However, the large-scale applications of BC are severely limited because of relatively low BC productivity and high cost of culture medium. Herein, the distiller's grain enzymatic hydrolysate (DEH) and yellow water were successfully combined as an effective substitute (the best distiller's grains-yellow water medium, BDY medium) for traditional Hestrin-Schramm medium (HS medium) for BC production by Gluconacetobacter xylinus through the response surface methodology. The BC production in BDY medium was significantly enhanced to 7.42 g/l with BC conversion yield of 42.4% after 7 days static cultivation, which was 3.72-fold and 3.37-fold higher than that in HS medium, respectively. The structure and properties of BC membranes produced in HS and BDY medium were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and hydrophilicity analysis. There was no significant difference between BC samples produced in the HS and BDY medium, indicating that BDY, as abundant and inexpensive substrates, can effectively replace HS medium to enhance BC production. The employment of distiller's grains and yellow water to BC production not only is conducive to achieve industrial production of BC, but also can effectively realize the recycling of waste from Baijiu distillery.

Bacterial cellulose synthesized with apple pomace enhanced by ionic liquid pretreatment.

Apple pomace was explored as alternative feedstock for producing bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus following a cellulase saccharification performed after pretreatment of 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([AMIM]Cl). The dissolving process of apple pomace cellulose was observed by polarized light microscopy (PLM). As FT-IR and XRD results demonstrated, the IL pretreatment proved to be a physical process and no changes in the crystalline structure occurred during the pretreatment. However, the SEM result showed that more fissures and breakages appeared on the surface of pomace microfibers after IL-pretreating, which increased the contact area with cellulase and improved the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. An enhancing effect on the BC yield has been observed, 27% higher yield of BC obtained from hydrolysate as compared to sucrose-based medium indicates efficiency of IL-treated apple pomace to serve as high quality feedstock in BC production.