Preparation and characterization of bacterial cellulose film using coconut water and Lentilactobacillus parafarraginis by the casting method

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural biomaterial formed by bacteria. It has distinctive properties and enormous utilization in various fields. The present study focused on BC film preparation using Lentilactobacillus parafarraginis and coconut water as a fermentation medium. This study aimed to characterize BC with variations in coconut water storage and fermentation time. The coconut water was kept for 1 and 2 days, then fermented for 5, 7, and 9 days. The dry BC film was produced by the casting method. Besides characterization, BC films were also analyzed for their morphology based on Fourier transformed infra-Red, X-ray diffraction spectra, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy images. The result showed that BC film with 2 days storage time of coconut water and 9 days fermentation time (BC29) possessed the best properties. It exhibited high wet weight (126.50 ± 0.24 g) and wet thickness (6.83 ± 0.18 mm) with pH, water vapor transmission, and moisture content value of 5.89 ± 0.01, 387.81 ± 0.35 g/m2, and 6.12% ± 0.13%, respectively. The BC film showed a high swelling degree (125.64% ± 0.25%) and mechanical strength (tensile strength of 13.52 ± 0.01 mPa, elongation at break of 35.81% ± 0.03%, and Young’s modulus of 99.08 ± 0.04 mPa). The result suggested that BC film can be developed as a new biomaterial with lower cost and better properties than existing films.