PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIAL CELLULOSE PRODUCED IN MODIFIED HESTERIN-SCHRAMM MEDIUM BY GLUCONACETOBACTER XYLINUS

This work investigated the suitability of using date syrup for producing bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus (PTCC 1734). In the preliminary study, BC was produced in Hesterin-Schramm (HS) medium. The highest production yield was achieved after 12 days of cultivation at the initial pH of 8. Considering this result, BC was produced in modified HS media containing date syrup. In the modified HS1 (MHS1) medium, glucose was omitted, and in the modified HS2 (MHS2) medium, neither glucose nor peptone was present. Interestingly, the production yield in the modified media was about 75% higher than the production using HS medium. The amounts of BC produced using MHS1 and MHS2 media were obtained as 5.03 gL(-1) and 5.17 gL(-1), respectively. Structure analysis of these specimens indicated long fibrils, with diameters less than 70 nm. However, the crystallinity index of BC obtained from MHS1 media, containing peptone, was higher than that of BS produced in MHS2.