Production and characterization of bacterial cellulose membranes with hyaluronic acid from chicken comb

•The enzymatic extraction was able to recover crystalline low molar mass hyaluronic acid (HA) from chicken comb, that was also identified and characterized by FT-IR and 13C CP MAS solid state nmr, and thermal stability by thermogravimetry.•Hyaluronic acid was successfully incorporated on to bacterial cellulose membranes characterized by FT-IR and 13C CP MAS solid state nmr, and thermal stability by thermogravimetry, as well by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.•The hyaluronic acid incorporated lowers the crystallinity of cellulose, but the hyaluronic acid that is incorporated on to membrane is crystalline, specially for the membrane obtained when the HA is added to fermentation on to third day. The bacterial cellulose (BC), from Gluconacetobacter hansenii, is a biofilm with a high degree of crystallinity that can be used for therapeutic purposes and as a candidate for healing wounds. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a constitutive polysaccharide found in the extracellular matrix and is a material used in tissue engineering and scaffolding for tissue regeneration. In this study, polymeric composites were produced in presence of hyaluronic acid isolated from chicken comb on different days of fermentation, specifically on the first (BCHA-SABT0) and third day (BCHA-SABT3) of fermentation. The structural characteristics, thermal stability and molar mass of hyaluronic acid from chicken comb were evaluated. Native membrane and polymeric composites were characterized with respect to their morphology and crystallinity. The optimized process of extraction and purification of hyaluronic acid resulted in low molar mass hyaluronic acid with structural characteristics similar to the standard commercial hyaluronic acid. The results demonstrate that the polymeric composites (BC/HA-SAB) can be produced in situ. The membranes produced on the third day presented better incorporation of HA-SAB between cellulose microfiber, resulting in membranes with higher thermal stability, higher roughness and lower crystallinity. The biocompatiblily of bacterial cellulose and the importance of hyaluronic acid as a component of extracellular matrix qualify the polymeric composites as promising biomaterials for tissue engineering.