Bacterial cellulose produced by a new acid-resistant strain of Gluconacetobacter genus.

A bacterial strain isolated from the fermentation of Colombian homemade vinegar, Gluconacetobacter medellensis, was investigated as a new source of bacterial cellulose (BC). The BC produced from substrate media consisting of various carbon sources at different pH and incubation times was quantified. Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium modified with glucose led to the highest BC yields followed by sucrose and fructose. Interestingly, the microorganisms are highly tolerant to low pH: an optimum yield of 4.5 g/L was achieved at pH 3.5, which is generally too low for other bacterial species to function. The cellulose microfibrils produced by the new strain were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy X-ray diffraction and elemental analysis. The morphological, structural and chemical characteristics of the cellulose produced are similar to those expected for BC.

Plantain fibre bundles isolated from Colombian agro-industrial residues.

Comestible fruit production from Musaceas plants is an important economical activity in developing countries like Colombia. However, it generates a large amount of agro-industrial residues. Some of them are a potential resource of natural fibres, which can be used as reinforcement for composite materials. In this work, a series of commercial plantain (Musa AAB, cv "Dominico Harton") fibre bundles extracted from pseudostem, leaf sheath and rachis agricultural wastes were analyzed. Mechanical decortication and biological retting processes were used during fiber extraction. No significant differences in composition of vascular bundles were observed for both extraction processes. Gross morphological characteristics and mechanical behavior have been evaluated. Conducting tissues with spiral-like arrangement are observed attached to fibre bundles. This fact suggests a big amount of these tissues in commercial plantain plants. Both used extraction methods are not enough to remove them. Pseudostem fibre bundles have higher specific strength and modulus and lower strain at break than leaf sheath and rachis fibre bundles, having values comparable to other lignocellulosic fibres bundles.

Biological natural retting for determining the hierarchical structuration of banana fibers.

Extraction processes of natural fibers can be performed by different procedures that include mechanical, chemical and biological methods. Each method presents different advantages or drawbacks according to the amount of fiber produced or the quality and properties of fiber bundles obtained. In this study, biological natural retting was satisfactorily used for obtaining banana fibers from plant bunches. However, the most important contribution of this work refers to the description of the hierarchical microstructural ordering present in banana fiber bundles in both bundle surface and inner region. The chemical composition of banana fiber bundles has been evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy. Through exposure time, the fiber bundle configuration presents small variations in composition. The main changes are related to hemicellulose and pectins as they conform the outer walls of the bundle. Hierarchical helicoidal ordering in the bundle surface as well as orientation on the longitudinal axis of the bundle were observed by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for 3-4 microm surface fibers and 10-15 microm inner elementary fibers, respectively. With increasing exposure time, fiber bundle walls lose integrity, as reflected in their mechanical behavior.