Abstract
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an exopolysaccharide produced by bacteria that has unusual structural features and is more refined than plant cellulose. BC has recently gained more attention in a variety of fields including biological and biomedical applications due to its excellent physiochemical properties including easy biodegradability, better water holding capacity, high tensile strength, high thermal stability, and high degree of polymerization. However, application of BC at industrial scale is still limited due to its high production cost and lesser yielding strains. The present study is an attempt to isolate and characterize a novel BC-producing bacterial strain. The bacterial strain S5 has resulted into maximum cellulose production of 4.76 ± 0.49 gL(-1) (30°C, pH 7.0). The strain has been further identified as Stenotrophomonas sp. Derivation of nutritional and cultural conditions has resulted into 2.34-fold enhanced BC production (banana peel powder, peptone, tartaric acid, pH 7, 30°C). FTIR spectrum of BC revealed characteristic absorption bands which could be attributed to the O-H band, C-H stretching, C-O-C stretching band, O-H bending, and >CH(2) bending, indicative of the β-1,4 glycosidic linkages of cellulose. Thermogravimetric analysis has also revealed stability of polysaccharide backbones and characteristic weight loss points. Employment of banana peel powder has appeared as a proficient low-cost source for large-scale economic production of BC for industrial applications.