Rotary disc bioreactor-based approach for bacterial nanocellulose production using Gluconacetobacter xylinus NCIM 2526 strain

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is an indomitable biomaterial of utmost usage in different technological areas. Previously, the BNC production has been reported in the simplified bioreactors. Thus, pioneering bioreactor-assisted strategies are desirable for the commendable BNC production. Advanced bioreactors must be corroborated along with different bacterial strains to obtain creditable BNC yield. This study deals with BNC production in rotary disc bioreactor (RDBR) using Gluconacetobacter xylinus NCIM 2526 strain. RDBR-based production of BNC provided 189 ± 14 gL⁻¹ of wet BNC, i.e., equivalent to 6.6 ± 0.3 gL⁻¹ dry BNC yield in 10 days. However, in static cultivation mode, 56 ± 12 gL⁻¹ wet weight of BNC, corresponding to 2.4 ± 0.4 gL⁻¹ dry weight, was produced. Thus, BNC production was approximately 2.75 folds higher in RDBR than statically produced BNC from the same volume of the media. The sugar to BNC conversion yield (12.2 ± 0.8%) was doubled in RDBR-based production as compared to static BNC production (6.2 ± 1.4%) with efficient sugar consumption (90.0 ± 3.3%). The maximum amount of BNC was produced at 7 RPM and pH 6. RDBR-based BNC showed a more hydrophilic nature than statically produced BNC. The RDBR might be appropriate for large-scale BNC production, especially for wet-end applications, as an ample amount of BNC can be produced from a single fermentation process. These BNC pellicles might have the potential for biomedical applications like wound dressings, biofacial masks, hydrogels, and tissue engineering scaffolds.