YourTuber matters: Screening for potato variety for the synthesis of bacterial cellulose in its tuber juice.

This study aimed to characterize potato varieties for producing potato juice media (PJM) that allow bacterial cellulose (BC) effective and cost-efficient production. The study used 12 edible and 10 starch potato varieties from an accredited company for breeding and seed production. In general, edible varieties produced a 73 % higher PJ yield. Favorable BC yields were obtained using five edible and two starch varieties. Notably, the average BC yields in PJM from three edible varieties (Altesse, Mazur, and Owacja) were above the average BC yield from Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium (4.3, 4.1, and 3.9 g/L v. 3.69 g/L, respectively); these varieties had relatively high concentrations of glucose (3.3-4.2 g/L), fructose (3.0-4.2 g/L), and sucrose (2.9-4.2 g/L). It was also shown that the macro- and microstructure, crystallinity, and polymerization degree showed no significant differences between PJM-derived BC and HS-BC. As estimated, the cost of PJM required to produce 1 kg of BC is approximately EUR 60. In contrast, the cost of HS medium exceeds 1200 EUR. In conclusion, our research has proven that PJM can significantly reduce the costs (by over tenfold) of the medium for BC biosynthesis, ultimately lowering overall costs of producing this valuable biomaterial.

Potato Juice, a Starch Industry Waste, as a Cost-Effective Medium for the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cellulose.

In this work, we verified the possibility of valorizing a major waste product of the potato starch industry, potato tuber juice (PJ). We obtained a cost-effective, ecological-friendly microbiological medium that yielded bacterial cellulose (BC) with properties equivalent to those from conventional commercial Hestrin-Schramm medium. The BC yield from the PJ medium (>4 g/L) was comparable, despite the lack of any pre-treatment. Likewise, the macro- and microstructure, physicochemical parameters, and chemical composition showed no significant differences between PJ and control BC. Importantly, the BC obtained from PJ was not cytotoxic against fibroblast cell line L929 in vitro and did not contain any hard-to-remove impurities. The PJ-BC soaked with antiseptic exerted a similar antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as to BC obtained in the conventional medium and supplemented with antiseptic. These are very important aspects from an application standpoint, particularly in biomedicine. Therefore, we conclude that using PJ for BC biosynthesis is a path toward significant valorization of an environmentally problematic waste product of the starch industry, but also toward a significant drop in BC production costs, enabling wider application of this biopolymer in biomedicine.

Bacterial Nanocellulose Fortified with Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Natural Products from Chelidonium majus Plant Cell Cultures.

In this work we developed a bi-functional Bacterial-Nano-Cellulose (BNC) carrier system for cell cultures of Chelidonium majus-a medicinal plant producing antimicrobial compounds. The porous BNC was biosynthesized for 3, 5 or 7 days by the non-pathogenic Komagataeibacter xylinus bacteria and used in three forms: (1) Without removal of K. xylinus cells, (2) partially cleaned up from the remaining K. xylinus cells using water washing and (3) fully purified with NaOH leaving no bacterial cells remains. The suspended C. majus cells were inoculated on the BNC pieces in liquid medium and the functionalized BNC was harvested and subjected to scanning electron microscopy observation and analyzed for the content of C. majus metabolites as well as to antimicrobial assays and tested for potential proinflammatory irritating activity in human neutrophils. The highest content and the most complex composition of pharmacologically active substances was found in 3-day-old, unpurified BNC, which was tested for its bioactivity. The assays based on the IL-1ß, IL-8 and TNF-α secretion in an in vitro model showed an anti-inflammatory effect of this particular biomatrix. Moreover, 3-day-old-BNC displayed antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The results of the research indicated a possible application of such modified composites, against microbial pathogens, especially in local surface infections, where plant metabolite-enriched BNC may be used as the occlusive dressing.