The Potential of Liquid Waste from the Fruit Preserves Production Process as a Low-cost Raw Material for the Production of Bacterial Cellulose

Abstract

The liquid waste from the production of fruit preserves was used as an alternative carbon source to replace sugar in the traditional Hestrin-Schramm (HS) and coconut water media (CM) and reduce the cost of bacterial cellulose (BC) production. The sugar components of liquid wastes from preserved tamarind (LWT) and preserved mango (LWM) were characterized, and the total sugars were between 237.50 g/L and 231.90 g/L. The effects of the nutrients in the media with LWT and LWM on the production of BC by Acetobacter xylinum were determined. The result showed that A. xylinum could grow and produce BC in the media with liquid waste. The highest concentration of BC, 6.60±0.04 g/L, was obtained from the medium containing 25% (v/v) LWM. In a medium containing LWT, A. xylinum produced a maximum BC of 5.50±0.30 g/L when 12.5% (v/v) LWM was added. However, when the structure and physical properties of the BC from the liquid waste were characterized, it was similar to BC from the HS medium and CM medium without liquid waste. © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.