Cellulose factors influencing characteristics

The structural characteristics of bacterial cellulose are directly related to two factors, namely (1) the origin of the strain, which determines the la/ip ratio and (2) the culture medium composition that influences the chain size. Such characteristics determine the degree of crystallinity of bacterial cellulose and consequently, their physicochemical properties. Structural modifications can be accomplished in a post-production step, since it is possible to functionalize the hydroxyl groups (—OH) by methylation [13], esterification [14], sulphonation [13], nitration [13], deoxyamination [15], etc. 

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