Bacterial Cellulose Biosynthesis: Optimization Strategy Using Iranian Nabat Industry Waste

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer has found extensive applications across different fields due to its nanostructure and biomaterial performance. This study focused on optimizing yield of BC produced by Komagataeibacter xylinus CH1, isolated from kombucha SCOBY. The study aimed to use Nabat industry waste (NIW) as a cost-effective alternative carbon source for submerged fermentation. To optimize the fermentation criteria, the central composite design was used with the inoculation amount (1.5-4.5 % VV-1), NIW (0-1%), and fermentation time (3-7 days) as independent variables. The impressive results indicated the yield was enhanced up to 45.543 gL-1 at 3.013 % VV-1 of inoculation, 0.516 % NIW, and 7 days of stirred fermentation. SEM, XRD, FTIR, and TGA were applied to evaluate the characteristics of freeze-dried BC, such as the threedimensional, porous structure, crystalline peaks, amorphous haloes, and thermal stability. The physicochemical properties of BC including high moisture content (93.022 f 0.472 %), water absorption rate (569.473 f 3.739 %), water-holding capacity (1333.016 f 3.680 %), porosity (166.247 f 2.055 %), and low water activity (0.296 f 0.030 %) were achieved. Rheological properties of BC suspensions showed that G ' dominated over G '', with tan delta values lower than 1. These characteristics indicate NIW and stirred fermentation conditions are a promising method for producing BC in high yield.