Multifactorial Optimization and Characterization of Bacterial Cellulose by Plackett-Burman and Taguchi Designs

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has distinctive structural, physical, functional, and chemical characteristics. Recently, there has been growing interest in mass-producing BC for industrial uses to achieve greater cost-effectiveness and productivity in cellulose synthesis. This study aimed to enhance the productivity of BC by utilizing the Plackett-Burman Design to determine the optimal media composition and Taguchi's design for optimizing the culture parameters by Gluconacetobacter xylinus NRRL B-469. The impact of eleven cultural components on BC production was assessed using the Plackett-Burman Design. The results indicated that the variables with the greatest influence on BC production were Mannitol at a concentration of 25 g/L, H2SO4–heat-treated molasses at 110 ml, CSL at 80 ml, Citric acid at 1.15 g/L, and Na2HPO4 at 2.7 g/L. These optimal medium compositions resulted in a higher BC yield of 9.5 g/l. Furthermore, Taguchi's design accurately forecasted a yield almost double that of BC (18.04 g/l) under ideal production circumstances. The composition of the solution is as follows: Mannitol 25 g/L, H2SO4–heat-treated molasses 110 mL, CSL is 120 mL, citric acid 0.5 g/L, Na2HPO4 5 g/L. The total volume of the solution is 100 mL. The incubation period is 246 hours. The pH level is 5 and the temperature is maintained at 30oC. Additionally, the dried BC membrane was characterised using Scanning Electron Microscopy to establish its morphological structure and purity, X-ray Diffraction to assess its crystallinity, and FT-IR to analyse its chemical structure and functional groups. BC has fibrils that are somewhat thinner and have a more condensed structure, ranging from 73.9 to 161.0 nm. The utilization of experimental techniques, such as the Taguchi method and Plackett–Burman design, can serve as a valuable means to enhance the synthesis of bacterial cellulose pellicle. That could be serve as a promising material for specific applications.