Production of Bacteria Cellulose from Hydrolysate of Banana, Sago, and Potato Wastes

This article studies the bacterial cellulose (BC) produced using hydrolysates obtained from three Malaysian domestic agricultural wastes which are banana peels, potato peels, and sago effluent.

The wastes were hydrolysed using sulphuric acid at concentration of 4% (v/v) or 6% (v/v) for 20 minutes at two different temperatures, 105^oC and 121^oC, before being used as a carbon source in a culture media for the production of BC.

Banana peel hydrolysate produced the highest BC yield (2.89 g/L) compared to potato peel hydrolysate (2.42 g/L) and sago effluent (0.38 g/L). However, the potato peel hydrolysate contains a higher glucose concentration (43.44 mg/mL) than banana peel hydrolysate (19.15 mg/mL). It was investigated that pH 6 as the initial pH of fermentation media and 2.0% of initial carbon source concentration are the best conditions for the fermentation of BC using banana peel hydrolysate as a carbon source. The morphology of BC produced from banana peel hydrolysate captured by SEM has ultrafine fibrils and a pore-like reticulated structure, similar to BC produced from standard HS media.

This study showed that banana peel hydrolysate is a promising carbon source for BC production, yielding the highest BC yield with desirable characteristics. In addition, the optimal fermentation conditions were identified in this study, which is useful for large-scale or industrial production.