Isolation and identification of cellulose producing microorganisms from kombucha and vi̇negar

Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer produced by bacteria. It has unique properties and is obtained quite pure compared to plant cellulose. With the developments in biotechnology, the importance and usage area of bacterial cellulose is increasing day by day. Therefore, the primary goal of our study is to isolate and identify cellulose-producing microorganisms from homemade vinegar and kombucha mushroom tea, also known as SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacterias and Yeasts). The second goal of our study is to show the existence of bacterial cellulose production from these bacteria. In this study, isolation of microorganisms was made from vinegar and kombucha mushrooms by culture method. For isolation, Hestrin Schramm (HS) culture medium at 30 ° C and pH 6,0 ± 0,02 was used. Classical and biochemical tests were applied for the identification of the isolated strains. According to the test results, it was observed that bacteria that were determined to belong to the genus Gluconacetobacter produced bacterial cellulose at certain rates. During the breeding, the pH of the culture medium has changed and the membrane was detected on the culture surface. Characterization of thickened membranes was made by FTIR analysis. In order to understand the fiber quality of the membranes found to be bacterial cellulose, they were dried and weighed, then immersed in distilled water, their wet weight was measured, and water absorption rates were determined. As a result of our study, targeted bacterial species were isolated and cellulose production was observed. After obtaining more detailed information about the bacteria obtained in our study, it is planned to develop a new product that can be used as a raw material after the necessary studies to increase the quality of the bacterial cellulose they produce.