Production and Characterization of Bacterial Cellulose from Citrus Peels

Cellulose is the most common polymer in the world, formed by beta-1,4 linked glucopyranose units. In this study, citrus peels (lemon, mandarin, orange and grapefruit) were used for the production of bacterial cellulose (BC). The peels were hydrolyzed with dilute acid and hydrolysates were used for BC production. The production of BC was carried out at 28-32 degrees C for 21days under static conditions with Komagataeibacter hansenii GA2016. BC yields were found to be between 2.06 and 3.92%. It was found that the FTIR spectra of the BCs produced in citrus peel hydrolysates were similar to BC produced in the commercially available nutrients. The result of this study showed that all the BCs produced from citrus peels were characterized to have high water holding capacity, thin fiber diameter, high the thermal stability and high crystallinity.