Bio-cellulose Production by Beijerinckia fluminensis WAUPM53 and Gluconacetobacter xylinus 0416 in Sago By-product Medium.

Bio-cellulose is the microbial extracellular cellulose that is produced by growing several microorganisms on agriculture by-products, and it is used in several food applications. This study aims to utilize sago by-product, coconut water, and the standard medium Hestrin-Schramm as the carbon sources in the culture medium for bio-cellulose production. The bacteria Beijerinkia fluminensis WAUPM53 and Gluconacetobacter xylinus 0416 were selected based on their bio-cellulose production activity. The structure was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while the toxicity safety was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality test. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the bio-cellulose produced by B. fluminensis cultivated in sago by-products was of high quality. The bio-cellulose production by B. fluminensis in the sago by-product medium was slightly higher than that in the coconut water medium and was comparable with the production in the Hestrin-Schramm medium. Brine shrimp lethality test confirmed that the bio-cellulose produced by B. fluminensis in the sago by-product medium has no toxicity, which is safe for applications in the food industry. This is the first study to determine the high potential of sago by-product to be used as a new carbon source for the bio-cellulose production.

Isolation and identification of biocellulose-producing bacterial strains from Malaysian acidic fruits.

UNLABELLED: Biocellulose (BC) is pure extracellular cellulose produced by several species of micro-organisms that has numerous applications in the food, biomedical and paper industries. However, the existing biocellulose-producing bacterial strain with high yield was limited. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the potential biocellulose-producing bacterial isolates from Malaysian acidic fruits. One hundred and ninety-three bacterial isolates were obtained from 19 local acidic fruits collected in Malaysia and screened for their ability to produce BC. A total of 15 potential bacterial isolates were then cultured in standard Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium statically at 30°C for 2 weeks to determine the BC production. The most potent bacterial isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, morphological and biochemical characteristics. Three new and potent biocellulose-producing bacterial strains were isolated from soursop fruit and identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia WAUPM42, Pantoea vagans WAUPM45 and Beijerinckia fluminensis WAUPM53. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia WAUPM42 was the most potent biocellulose-producing bacterial strain that produced the highest amount of BC 0·58 g l(-1) in standard HS medium. Whereas, the isolates P. vagans WAUPM45 and B. fluminensis WAUPM53 showed 0·50 and 0·52 g l(-1) of BC production, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Biocellulose (BC) is pure extracellular cellulose that is formed by many micro-organisms in the presence of carbon source and acidic condition. It can replace plant-based cellulose in multifarious applications due to its unique characteristics. In this study, three potential biocellulose-producing bacterial strains were obtained from Malaysian acidic fruits and identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia WAUPM42, Pantoea vagans WAUPM45 and Beijerinckia fluminensis WAUPM53. This study reports for the first time the new biocellulose-producing bacterial strains isolated from Malaysian acidic fruits.