• Limitations of two current cellulose nanofiber alignment methods, and monitoring of bacterial cellulose production by two commonly used microorganisms: Gluconacetobacter Hansenii and Gluconacetobacter Xylinus

Bacterial cellulose was first described by A.J Brown in 1886, as the “mother of vinegar”. It’s purity, tensile strength, nanofiber composition, low cost of production and overall greater biocompatibility have led to various applications as a biomaterial for cellular agriculture and Tissue Engineering. In order to potentially improve its biocompatibility, and influence in seeded cells (Adhesion, differentiation and proliferation), alignment through low cost methods, such as electromagnetic orientation and nanofiber alignment through constant stirring were investigated. We demonstrated limitations with these two methods, and concluded that constant stirring has a greater potential for large scale production, although more research is required. In contrast, electromagnetically aligned cellulose production is not considered to be a method with large scale applications due to the requirements for a strong magnetic field, which affects cell viability; interrupts the direct current; and leads to production of undesirable metabolites.

Moreover, we further demonstrated a comparison between two commonly used bacteria cellulose producing microbes: G. Hansenii (ATCC 23769) and G. Xylinus (ATCC 700178). Based on our results, G. Xylinus in YGC:459 medium produced approximately seventeen times more cellulose than G. Hansenii in Mannitol medium. An experimental medium containing approximately a 1:1 monomer ratio between glucose and Mannitol was investigated; this yielded no statistically significant difference in cellulose production; therefore, we concluded that sugar concentration doesn’t appear to affect cellulose production in G. Hansenii. The greater cellulose production of G. Xylinus led to the acidification of the medium, contrasting the alkalization of the Mannitol medium. This observations can be attributed to the production of gluconic acid, lactic acid and acetic acid from the utilization of Glucose by G. Xylinus. The alkalization of the Mannitol medium appears to relate to the direct conversion of Mannitol to Fructose, which is then further metabolized. The Monitoring of cellulose production can be applied to prospective applications requiring cellulose layers of varying thickness; and lastly, contribute a relationship between viability, pH and Cellulose production.