Abstract:
Mango peels are continuously studied as a viable source for natural-sourced polymers
and sugar-based molecules that would bring added value to existing biomaterial markets, such
as that of bacterial cellulose (BC) production. This study determined the possibility of using
crude mango peel extract (CMPE) as an additive in the fermentation of bacterial cellulose.
Optimization of BC production was determined using different concentrations of Glacial acetic
acid and sugar. Extraction of the mango peels used 95% ethanol as a solvent. Different
concentrations of CMPE were added to optimize BC fermentation setups. The conditions that
gave the highest yield were 1 mL of acetic acid and for sugar there was no significant difference
from 1:10 and 1:20 to sugar and coconut water ratio. All CMPE setups showed no bacterial
cellulose produced. Sediment build-up was observed at the highest concentration of CMPE at
0.20 % w/v. The setups of 0.10 % w/v and 0.05 % w/v showed; solutions that were less
translucent and grainy, possibly indicating microbe cell death or inhibition of microbial growth.
This study’s findings recommend the need to investigate other extraction techniques and
investigate the compounds responsible in the biochemical activities of the CMPE that would
facilitate bacteria proliferation and BC production.
