Introduction
Cellulose for industrial purposes is usually obtained
from plant sources, but production by bacteria has great potential.
Acetobacter xylinum, one of the best bacteria
for large-scale cellulose production, accepts a wide variety of
substrates. The cellulose is chemically pure, free of lignin and
hemicellulose, has a high polymer crystallinity and a high degree
of polymerization that distinguishes it from other forms of
cellulose.
The Portuguese wine industry produces approximately 100000-200000
ton of grape pomace every year. This large amount of waste
might be used for the production of bacterial cellulose.
The aim of this project was to obtain an extract from grape pomace
and to test it as a medium for A. xylinum to produce inexpensive
cellulose.
Food and non-food applications of bacterial cellulose
.
Food applications:
- food product from the Philippines, Nata de coco,
consumed as a dessert in the Philippines and Japan.
- low-calorie additive, thicknerer, stabilizer and texture modifier.
Non-food applications:
- Acoustic diaphragms for audio speakers developed by Sony Corp.
Post-modified bacterial cellulose material is characterized with
both high sonic velocity and high internal loss, making it ideal
for regenerating higher and clearer sound. These acoustic
transducer diaphragms are used in some head sets and speaker systems.
- production of activated carbon fiber sheets for absorption of toxic gas.
In the medical field, because of hydrophilic and mechanical
properties, bacterial celluloset is used as a temporary
skin substitute and as a wound dressing.
Maybe in the future post-modified bacterial cellulose
will be used in tissue and organ transplants.
experimental work