Microbiology Research Journal International

Bacteria cellulose production from rice husk by acetic acid bacteria isolated from palm wine was carried out in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. 120 palm wine samples were collected at Nkwagu market from different palm wine tappers while the rice husk were collected from Abakaliki rice mill and a farm at Nkaliki village respectively. The palm wine samples were analyzed in the laboratory using standard microbiological procedures. The result showed that the genera Gluconacetobacter and Komagataeibacter were isolated. The result of bacteria cellulose production from the standard Hestrin-Schramm (HS) broth and the modified HS broth with either rice husk as the carbon source using the acetic acid bacteria species revealed that Gluconacetobacter and Komagataeibacter species produced varying quantities of bacteria cellulose from the standard and modified HS medium. Gluconacetobacter species GS1 produced 0.51±0.01 grams of bacteria cellulose per 250ml of standard HS medium with percentage yield of 10.2 and 0.20±0.01 grams of bacteria cellulose with percentage yield of 4.0 from the rice husk modified HS broth, while Gluconacetobacter species GS4 produced 0.42 ± 0.01, 0.36±0.01 and 0.18 grams of bacteria cellulose from the standard HS and rice husk with percentage yield of 8.4, 7.2 and 3.6 respectively. Komagataeibacter species KS1 produced 0.24±0.01 and 0.19±0.01 grams of bacteria cellulose per 250ml standard HS and rice husk modified HS medium with percentage yield of 4.8 and 3.8 respectively. This study has demonstrated that rice husk can be used as an alternative, cost effective carbon sources for producing bacteria cellulose.