Production of bacterial cellulose in static conditions by a simple fed-batch cultivation strategy

Abstract

The current study investigated fed-batch cultivation for the increased productivity of bacterial cellulose (BC) sheets by Gluconacetobacter hansenii PJK in static conditions using chemically defined medium and waste from beer fermentation broth. Fermentations were carried out in a 3 L jar fermenter without any impeller for 30 days. In the proposed fed-batch cultivation, 500 mL of the medium was initially inoculated with pre-culture in a jar fermenter while a fresh medium was fed periodically. BC production was also done by using batch cultivation which was used as a control for comparison. The results obtained revealed an overall of 2–3 times increase in BC production in fed-batch cultivation compared to batch cultivation after 30 days of cultivation. During these experiments, it was found that waste from beer fermentation broth is a superior medium for the BC production using fed-batch cultivation. The production of water soluble oligosaccharides as useful by-products was also monitored during these investigations. Fed-batch cultivation and waste from beer fermentation was also found superior for the production of these by-products. According to literature search and to the best of our knowledge, it is the first report of using fed-batch cultivation for BC production in static conditions.