Physicochemical and mechanical characterization of bacterial cellulose produced with an excellent productivity in static conditions using a simple fed-batch cultivation strategy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the structural modifications and physico-mechanical properties of the BC sheets produced in static cultures using a newly developed fed-batch strategy and a new medium (waste from beer fermentation broth; WBFB). Characteristics of these BC samples were compared with BC sheets produced in batch and fed-batch cultivations using chemically defined medium (CDM). FT-IR and C-13 NMR spectra showed almost same results for all the BC samples. XRD analysis revealed that BC produced in fed-batch cultivation using CDM had larger crystallite size than other BC samples. Crystallinity index of BC from fed-batch cultivations was higher than batch cultivation. BC from WBFB had slightly lower degree of polymerization than BC from CDM. Mechanical strength of BC from fed-batch cultivation using CDM was highest. WHC and WRR for BC from WBFB were greater than BC from CDM. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.