Effect of Addition of Water-Soluble Polysaccharides on Bacterial Cellulose Production in a 50-L Airlift Reactor

• Published in: Biotechnology progress Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 781 - 785
• Main Authors: Chao, Yaping, Mitarai, Makoto, Sugano, Yasushi, Shoda, Makoto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: USA American Chemical Society 2001; American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Subjects: Acetobacter - metabolism; Acetobacter xylinum; Agar - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - instrumentation; Biotechnology - methods; cellulose; Cellulose - biosynthesis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Microbial engineering. Fermentation and microbial culture technology; polysaccharides; Polysaccharides - metabolism; Polysaccharides, Bacterial - metabolism; Solubility; Water; Acetobacteraceae; Culture medium; Airlift reactor; Cellulose; Xanthan gum; Agar; Oxygen transfer; Volumetric mass transfer coefficient; Bioreactor; Acetobacter xylinum; Batchwise; Production; Microorganism culture; Bacteria; Polysaccharide
• ISSN: 8756-7938; 1520-6033
• DOI: 10.1021/bp010046b

Bacterial cellulose (BC) production was carried out in a batch cultivation of Acetobacter xylinumin a 50‐L internal loop airlift reactor by addition of water‐soluble polysaccharides into the medium. When 0.1% (w/w) agar was added, BC production reached 8.7 g/L compared with 6.3 g/L in the control, and duration of the cultivation period to reach the maximum concentration of BC was almost half of that without addition of polysaccharides. During cultivation, BC was formed into pellets whose size was smaller when the productivity of BC was higher, indicating that increase in the relative viscosity by addition of polysaccharides hindered formation of large clumps of BC and increase in the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient at high flow rate led to increase in BC productivity.