Obtención y caracterización de celulosa bacteriana producida por cepas acéticas endémicas del Ecuador

Abstract

The research and development of new bacterial strains producing bacterial cellulose (BC) is a topic of great relevance today, especially in the context of biotechnology and industrial applications. This study focuses on native strains from Ecuador, with special attention to acetic bacteria PDC 21 and PDC 25, opening new possibilities for BC production. The methodology of this study involved the axenic culture of the strains and the observation of the formation of BC biofilm. Fermentative processes were carried out and the BC production yield was evaluated in comparison with a control of Komagataeibacter xylinus (DSMZ 2004). In addition, acid, thermal, and mechanical treatments were performed to obtain nanocellulose. The morphology of the samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-IR) was used to evaluate their chemical properties. The study concludes with the proposal that strain PDC 25 could be a viable alternative for BC production in industrial applications. This conclusion is based on its production yield, glucose consumption, and the properties of the BC it produces, which are similar to those of strain DSMZ 2004, commonly used as a study model and in the industry. This finding opens new possibilities for BC production and biotechnology in Ecuador.