Characterization of hybrid nanofibrils composed of xyloglucan and disintegrated bacterial cellulose

Abstract

Nata puree (NP)—obtained by disintegrating nata de coco (bacterial cellulose [BC]) using a household blender—can be combined with tamarind seed gum (TG) to generate NPTG. In this study, BC fibrils (BC-TG) were prepared by removing free TG from NPTG and characterized. BC-TG exhibited high water dispersibility and relatively long nanofibrils (> 20 μm). We examined the distribution of xyloglucan, the main component of TG, on BC nanofibrils using immunofluorescence staining with calcofluor white, which stains the hydrophilic cellulose surface, and found that xyloglucan was adsorbed at different sites along the fibers. This indicated that BC-TG was a composite nanofibril of xyloglucan and BC. Furthermore, BC-TG showed a higher degree of adsorption on hydrophobic plastic substrates than BC did, suggesting a change in the surface properties of BC. Because the BC-TG preparation process is simple, requires only water and raw materials, and does not involve chemical reactions, it is expected to be an environmentally friendly method for the preparation and modification of BC nanofibrils.