Influence of hemicelluloses on the aggregation patterns of bacterial cellulose

Abstract

Cellulose from the bacteriumAcetobacter xylinum was used as a model system for investigating the influence of other cell wall polysaccharides on the aggregation of cellulose. The patterns of aggregation of the bacterial cellulose were modified when the cellulose was produced in the presence of hemicellulose-like saccharides. The celluloses were found to be more like the Iβ-type found in higher plant celluloses than the Iα-type in the control bacterial celluloses. The effects of isolation procedures on structure were also explored. It was found that the structures of isolated celluloses were influenced by the procedures used in isolation.