Silicone polyether surfactant enhances bacterial cellulose synthesis and water holding capacity

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules Vol. 208; pp. 642 - 653
• Main Authors: Szymańska, Magdalena, Hoppe, Jakub, Dutkiewicz, Michał, Sobolewski, Peter, Palacz, Magdalena, Janus, Ewa, Zielińska, Beata, Drozd, Radosław
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 31.05.2022
• Subjects: Bacterial cellulose; Cytotoxicity; Silicone polyether surfactants; Yield; Bacterial cellulose; Cytotoxicity; Yield; Silicone polyether surfactants
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.124

The versatility and unique properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) motivate research into enhancing its synthesis. Here a silicone polyether surfactant (SPS) was synthesized and tested as a non-nutritional additive to the cultivation media of Komagataeibacter xylinus. The addition of SPS to the Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in surface tension from 59.57 ± 0.37 mN/m to 30.05 ± 0.41 mN/m (for 0.1% addition) that was correlated with an increased yield of BC, up to 37% wet mass for surfactant concentration close to its critical micelle concentration (0.008%). Physicochemical characterization of bacterial cellulose obtained in presence of SPS, showed that surfactant is not incorporated into BC structure and has a moderate effect on its crystallinity, thermal stability. Moreover, the water holding capacity was enhanced by over 40%. Importantly, obtained BC did not affect L929 murine fibroblast cell viability. We conclude that SPS provides an eco-friendly approach to increasing BC yield in static culture, enabling more widespread industrial and biomedical applications. [Display omitted] •Silicone polyether surfactants (SPS) enhance synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC).•The BC structure can be modified in situ by the addition of SPS to culture media.•The surface tension of media has a significant impact on BC yield.•The SPS is an efficient enhancer of BC synthesis.