Evaluation of Different Methods for Cultivating Gluconacetobacter hansenii for Bacterial Cellulose and Montmorillonite Biocomposite Production: Wound-Dressing Applications

Abstract

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has received considerable attention due to its unique properties, including an ultrafine network structure with high purity, mechanical strength, inherent biodegradability, biocompatibility, high water-holding capacity and high crystallinity. These properties allow BC to be used in biomedical and industrial applications, such as medical product. This research investigated the production of BC by Gluconacetobacter hansenii ATCC 23769 using different carbon sources (glucose, mannitol, sucrose and xylose) at two different concentrations (25 and 50 g∙L−1). The BC produced was used to develop a biocomposite with montmorillonite (MMT), a clay mineral that possesses interesting characteristics for enhancing BC physical-chemical properties, at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3% concentrations. The resulting biocomposites were characterized in terms of their physical and barrier properties, morphologies, water-uptake capacities, and thermal stabilities. Our results show that bacteria presented higher BC yields in media with higher glucose concentrations (50 g∙L−1) after a 14-day incubation period. Additionally, the incorporation of MMT significantly improved the mechanical and thermal properties of the BC membranes. The degradation temperature of the composites was extended, and a decrease in the water holding capacity (WHC) and an improvement in the water release rate (WRR) were noted. Determining a cost-effective medium for the production of BC and the characterization of the produced composites are extremely important for the biomedical applications of BC, such as in wound dressing materials.

Starch-Capped Silver Nanoparticles Impregnated into Propylamine-Substituted PVA Films with Improved Antibacterial and Mechanical Properties for Wound-Bandage Applications

“…Any breach in the skin by wound causes invasion of microorganisms into the sensitive underneath tissues that lead to wound infection. The advanced research on wound dressing development suggests that the ideal wound dressing should provide a wet environment to the wound, absorb exudates from the wound, should be highly biocompatible, having good antimicrobial activity for quick tissue regeneration and mechanical features to remain intact [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Development of Bacterial Cellulose Biocomposites Combined with Starch and Collagen and Evaluation of Their Properties

“…Then, the BC membranes underwent the purification process through alkaline treatment with potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ). For this purpose, the membranes were washed twice with distilled water at 80 °C for 1 h to remove impurities from the culture medium and then were treated with 0.3 mol·L −1 K 2 CO 3 aqueous solution at 80 °C for 1 h. After alkaline treatment, the BC membranes were washed with distilled water until a neutral pH (between 6.8 and 7) was obtained [ 49 ]. The purified membranes were stored at 4 °C in deionized water until further use.…”

A Review on Production, Characterization and Application of Bacterial Cellulose and Its Biocomposites

“…However, glucose remains the most preferred nutrient source for carbon since it gets readily consumed by the bacterial cells to yield energy to meet the metabolic demands. A study conducted by Hodel et al [70] reported that G. hansenii requires six more days to produce the same value of BC (i.e., 14.72 g/l) in the mannitol modified HS medium compared to glucose modified HS medium which produces BC in only 14 days of incubation. Further, Table 1 highlights the net BC yield obtained in different mediums with different bacterial cells produced in different cultivation modes.…”

“…BC matrix with nanoporous structure and the presence of several oxygen atoms has great potential in the production of functional composites [87][88][89][90]. Reinforcement with BC in conducting materials, carbon nanotubes, ceramics, graphene oxide, and several biopolymers have been studied and proved as suitable polymeric material for industrial applications [70].…”