Investigation of Bacterial Cellulose Production from Non-Hydrolyzed Orange Peel Extract Without Additional Nutrient Supplements

Abstract Bacterial cellulose (BC) is one of the noteworthy products that is synthesized by several genera of bacteria in the group of acetic acid bacteria. Bacterial cellulose has long been considered a smart, versatile, environmentally friendly material that can be applied in many fields due to its exceptional properties like high purity, high crystallinity, non-immune reaction, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, two significant problems need to be resolved to produce BC on a large scale including low fermentation efficiency and high production costs. However, two significant problems need to be resolved to produce BC on a large scale including low fermentation efficiency and high production costs. Meanwhile, agricultural waste products provide a plentiful and affordable solution to this problem. In this work, the usage of orange peel extract as a substitute medium for BC synthesis without any hydrolysis treatment is investigated. The main objective of this research was to enhance the BC yield from the orange peel extract medium, which is synthesized by Acetobacter xylinum, by optimizing the fermentation conditions. Following harvest, the BC was dried for 24 hours at 50°C to remove moisture. The result indicated that 100% orange peel extract, an initial pH medium of 10, a fermentation temperature of 30°C, a fermentation period of 14 days, and a bacterial concentration of 15% were the suitable conditions for BC production. Advanced analytical techniques were employed to do a detailed analysis of the generated bacterial cellulose (BC). According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, BC produced from orange peel extract has a high crystallinity index, reaching 86.92%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image showed the dense, overlapping microfibrillar structure characterizes outstanding physicochemical properties of BC.