Cellulose-producing acetic acid bacteria from corozo fruit (Bactris guineensis): isolation and characterization

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB), members of the Acetobacteraceae family, are known for their ability to synthesize bacterial cellulose (BC), a biopolymer of growing interest in the food, biomedical, and materials industries. Compared to plant-derived cellulose, BC offers higher purity and superior physicochemical properties; however, its large-scale production remains limited by the high cost of cultivation media and nutritional demands of AAB. In this study, corozo fruit (Bactris guineensis) fermentations were explored as a natural source of BC-producing bacteria. Forty-five bacterial isolates were obtained and biochemically characterized, of which five demonstrated cellulose production in Hestrin–Schramm (HS) medium under static conditions. Strain A03 showed the highest yield (9 g/L), comparable to the reference strain Komagataeibacter xylinus, followed by strains A05, A12, and A40 with intermediate yields, and strain A25 with the lowest. Molecular identification through 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed high similarity to Komagataeibacter hansenii. The biopolymers were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), confirming the structural and thermal features typical of BC, with strain-dependent differences in crystallinity, fiber morphology, and hydrogen bonding. These native K. hansenii strains represent promising candidates for the development of cost-effective, sustainable BC production strategies and offer potential for integration into circular bioeconomy models based on regional biodiversity.