Abstract
In this work, a potentially economic and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus from a biomass containing orange peel extract was evaluated. Orange peel extract was used as a culture medium without any hydrolysis treatment, thus speeding up the synthesis procedure. The efficacy of orange peel as a carbon source was compared with that of sucrose. The orange peel extract formed thicker cellulose gels than those formed using sucrose. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed both a high crystallinity index and crystallite size of BC nanofibers in samples obtained from orange peel (BC_Orange). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a highly densely packed nanofibrous structure (50 nm in diameter). BC_Orange presented a two-fold increase in water holding capacity (WHC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed a 44% increase in storage modulus compared to sucrose derived BC. These results showed that the naturally available carbon sources derived from orange peel extract can be effectively used for BC production. The orange-based culture medium can be considered a profitable alternative to the generation of high-value products in a virtuous circular economy model.
Highlights
Cellulose is a widely used biopolymer obtained using different methods such as extraction, biosynthesis, enzymatic synthesis and chemosynthesis
Where ρ is the apparent density of BC, which was calculated by measuring weight and where ρ is the apparent density of BC, which was calculated by measuring weight and volume of at least three samples, while ρ0 was the theoretical density of bacterial cellulose, volume of at least three samples, while ρ0 was the theoretical density of bacterial cellulose, equal to 1.59 g/cm33 [11]
The 1% percentile was chosen as the level for statistical significance, i.e., if in the t-test the probability p is lower than 0.01, the difference between the two populations was considered to be significant [31]. This indicates that the orange peel extract is an efficient medium for a fast growth of BC
Summary
Cellulose is a widely used biopolymer obtained using different methods such as extraction, biosynthesis, enzymatic synthesis and chemosynthesis. The soluble sugars can be directly utilized by Gluconacetobacter xylinus as a carbon source for BC production This means that orange peel has great potential to be used as a feedstock in BC production. Studies found that, when orange peel waste was used as a carbon source, BC production showed up to six times higher yields than a conventional medium (Hestrin and Schramm) [25]. Enzymatic hydrolysis, as well as chemical hydrolysis, was performed to convert the carbohydrates present in the orange peels into fermentable sugars [22,25] These processes are time-consuming and require chemicals and purification steps. A biosynthesis process of bacterial cellulose using aqueous extracts from orange peel was evaluated. The viscoelastic properties of BC produced from aqueous extracts of orange peel were evaluated
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