Editorial: Nanocellulose: A Multipurpose Advanced Functional Material, Volume II

Nanocellulose-Based Hybrid Scaffolds for Skin and Bone Tissue Engineering: A 10-Year Overview

Cellulose, the most abundant polymer on Earth, has been widely utilized in its nanoform due to its excellent properties, finding applications across various scientific fields. As the demand for nanocellulose continues to rise and its ease of use becomes apparent, there has been a significant increase in research publications centered on this biomaterial. Nanocellulose, in its different forms, has shown tremendous promise as a tissue engineered scaffold for regeneration and repair. Particularly, nanocellulose-based composites and scaffolds have emerged as highly demanding materials for both soft and hard tissue engineering. Medical practitioners have traditionally relied on collagen and its analogue, gelatin, for treating tissue damage. However, the limited mechanical strength of these biopolymers restricts their direct use in various applications. This issue can be overcome by making hybrids of these biopolymers with nanocellulose. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the recent and most relevant publications focusing on hybrid composites of collagen and gelatin with a specific emphasis on their combination with nanocellulose. While bone and skin tissue engineering represents two areas where a majority of researchers are concentrating their efforts, this review highlights the use of nanocellulose-based hybrids in these contexts.

Study on application of biocellulose-based material for cheese packaging

Bacterial cellulose (BC, biocellulose) is a natural polymer of microbiological origin that meets the criteria of a biomaterial for food packaging. The aim of the research was to obtain biocellulose and test its chemical as well as physical characterization as a potential packaging for Dutch-type cheeses. Four variants of biocellulose-based material were obtained: not grinded and grinded variants obtained from YPM medium (YPM-BCNG and YPM-BCG, respectively) and not grinded and grinded variants from acid whey (AW) (AW-BCNG and AW-BCG, respectively). It was demonstrated that AW-BCNG exhibited the highest thermostability and the highest degradation temperature (348 °C). YPM-BCG and YPM-BCNG demonstrated higher sorption properties (approx. 40 %) compared to AW-BCG and AW-BCNG (approx. 15 %). Cheese packaged in biocellulose (except for YPM-BCNG) did not differ in water, fat, or protein content compared to the control cheese. All of the biocellulose packaging variants provided the cheeses with protection against unfavourable microflora. It was demonstrated that cheeses packaged in biocellulose were characterized by lower hardness, fracturability, gumminess, and chewiness than the control cheese sample. The results obtained indicate that BC may be a suitable packaging material for ripening cheeses, which shows a positive impact on selected product features.

Exopolysaccharides Producing Bacteria: A Review

Bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are essential natural biopolymers used in different areas including biomedicine, food, cosmetic, petroleum, and pharmaceuticals and also in environmental remediation. The interest in them is primarily due to their unique structure and properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, higher purity, hydrophilic nature, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, antibacterial, and immune-modulating and prebiotic activities. The present review summarizes the current research progress on bacterial EPSs including their properties, biological functions, and promising applications in the various fields of science, industry, medicine, and technology, as well as characteristics and the isolation sources of EPSs-producing bacterial strains. This review provides an overview of the latest advances in the study of such important industrial exopolysaccharides as xanthan, bacterial cellulose, and levan. Finally, current study limitations and future directions are discussed.