Abstract
Sugar cane molasses was found to be very effective for bacterial cellulose production. The components of
sugar cane molasses, such as sucrose, fructose, glucose, nitrogenous compounds, non-nitrogenous acids, nucleic acids, vitamins, other carbohydrates, minerals and black color substance were added individually or in combined forms into Hestrin-Schramm medium, and then their effects on bacterial cellulose production by Acetobacter xylinum ATCC 10245 were investigated. Addition of vitamins, amino acids, other carbohydrates, minerals and black color substance in the molasses into Hestrin-Schramm medium with mixture of sucrose and fructose as the carbon source, increased the bacterial cellulose yields to 210%, 193%, 186%, 160% and 255%, respectively. The black color substance was the most effective component to increase the bacterial cellulose production.
