This thesis examines the interaction of xyloglucan, the major hemicellulosic component of type I primary plant cell walls, with cellulose. Initial attempts to form xyloglucan-cellulose complexes by in vitro association methods are described, which gave low levels of interaction, with features not similar to those found in primary wall networks. The majority of the work focusses on the use of the bacterium Acetobacter aceti ssp. xylinum (ATCC 53524), which synthesise highly pure, crystalline cellulose as an extracellular polysaccharide. Addition of xyloglucan to a cellulose-synthesising bacterial culture results in the formation of cellulose-xyloglucan networks with ultrastructural and molecular features similar to those of the networks of higher plants. Applicatioon of the bacterial fermentation system is extended to incorporate the polysaccharides glucomannan, galactomannan, xylan, mixed-linkage glucan, pectin and carboxymethylcellulose, all of which impart unique architectural and molecular effects on the composistes formed. Preliminary data on the mechanical properties of composite structures under large and small deformation conditions are also described.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--Jena.

Thesis (MTech (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / Grape producers and wine makers in South Africa are currently affected by various challenges, which include anti-alcohol lobbies, climate change, over-production in some vintages and the lack of transformation including empowerment in certain sectors of the industry. Climate change and global warming lead to poor quality wine grapes and as a result, poor quality wine. Therefore, there is a need to channel grapes away from normal wine production and provide an alternative source of income for the industry. The overall aim of this study was therefore to provide an alternative outlet for overproduced wine grapes by producing balsamic-styled vinegar (BSV) in South Africa. Balsamic vinegar is different from other vinegars because it is a direct product of grape must and not a downstream or by-product of wine production. Balsamic vinegar entails lower production costs when compared to the production of wine due to the low technological process requirements during production; therefore, this could be an opportunity for small business entrepreneurs with low capital start-up. In addition, balsamic vinegar can command a high price, which is a benefit for grape producers. The primary aim of this investigation was to biochemically analyse a BSV production process in which 5 non-Saccharomyces yeast and 15 acetic acid bacteria (AAB) were used for a multicultural alcoholic-acetous (EtOH-AcOH) fermentation process. To achieve this aim, a fermentation process was designed where the data generated was fitted into kinetic models and the proliferation including the population dynamics of the microbial consortia were studied.

<p>The hydrolysis kinetics of bacterial cellulose and its derivatives by <i>Trichoderma reesei</i> cellulases was studied. The cellulose surface erosion model was introduced to explain the gradual and strong retardation of the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. This model identifies the decrease in apparent processivity of cellobiohydrolases during the hydrolysis as a major contributor to the decreased rates. Both enzyme-related (non-productive binding) and substrate-related (erosion of cellulose surface) processes contribute to the decrease in apparent processivity. Furthermore, the surface erosion model allows, in addition to conventional endo-exo synergism, the possibility for different modes of synergistic action between cellulases. The second mode of synergism operates in parallel with the conventional one and was found to be predominant in the hydrolysis of more crystalline celluloses and also in the synergistic action of two cellobiohydrolases. </p><p>A mechanism of substrate inhibition in synergistic hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose was proposed whereby the inhibition is a result of surface dilution of reaction components (bound cellobiohydrolase and cellulose chain ends) at lower enzyme-to-substrate ratios. </p><p>The inhibition of cellulases by the hydrolysis product, cellobiose, was found to be strongly dependent on the nature of the substrate. The hydrolysis of a low molecular weight model substrate, such as para-nitrophenyl cellobioside, by cellobiohydrolase I is strongly inhibited by cellobiose with a competitive inhibition constant around 20 μM, whereas the hydrolysis of cellulose is more resistant to inhibition with an apparent inhibition constant around 1.5 mM for cellobiose.</p>

The hydrolysis kinetics of bacterial cellulose and its derivatives by Trichoderma reesei cellulases was studied. The cellulose surface erosion model was introduced to explain the gradual and strong retardation of the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. This model identifies the decrease in apparent processivity of cellobiohydrolases during the hydrolysis as a major contributor to the decreased rates. Both enzyme-related (non-productive binding) and substrate-related (erosion of cellulose surface) processes contribute to the decrease in apparent processivity. Furthermore, the surface erosion model allows, in addition to conventional endo-exo synergism, the possibility for different modes of synergistic action between cellulases. The second mode of synergism operates in parallel with the conventional one and was found to be predominant in the hydrolysis of more crystalline celluloses and also in the synergistic action of two cellobiohydrolases. A mechanism of substrate inhibition in synergistic hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose was proposed whereby the inhibition is a result of surface dilution of reaction components (bound cellobiohydrolase and cellulose chain ends) at lower enzyme-to-substrate ratios. The inhibition of cellulases by the hydrolysis product, cellobiose, was found to be strongly dependent on the nature of the substrate. The hydrolysis of a low molecular weight model substrate, such as para-nitrophenyl cellobioside, by cellobiohydrolase I is strongly inhibited by cellobiose with a competitive inhibition constant around 20 μM, whereas the hydrolysis of cellulose is more resistant to inhibition with an apparent inhibition constant around 1.5 mM for cellobiose.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:13:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NaisandraBS_TESE_1-50.pdf: 2251709 bytes, checksum: f894b2d51f4f9a6c372cbd1e00aa233d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-06-07 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Bacterial cellulose (BC) has a wide range of potential applications, namely as temporary substitute skin in the treatment of skin wounds, such as burns, ulcers and grafts. Surface properties determine the functional response of cells, an important factor for the successful development of biomaterials. This work evaluates the influence of bacterial cellulose surface treatment by plasma (BCP) on the cellular behavior and its genotoxicity potential. The modified surface was produced by plasma discharge in N2 and O2 atmosphere, and the roughness produced by ion bombardment characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Cell adhesion, viability and proliferation on BCP were analysed using crystal violet staining and the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium (MTT) method. Genotoxicity was evaluated using the comet and cytokinesis block micronucleus assay. The results show that the plasma treatment changed surface roughness, producing an ideal cell attachment, evidenced by more elongated cell morphology and improved proliferation. The excellent biocompatibility of BCP was confirmed by genotoxicity tests, which showed no significant DNA damage. The BCP has therefore great potential as a new artificial implant / A celulose bacteriana (CB) ? utilizada, geralmente como uma membrana tempor?ria, na substitui??o de pele lesionada, em feridas, queimaduras, ulcera??es ou como enxerto. Modifica??es em sua superf?cie podem determinar respostas no funcionamento celular dos tecidos adjacentes, influenciando sua biocompatibilidade. Este estudo apresenta a primeira avalia??o da influ?ncia de nanopart?culas de celulose bacteriana e de membranas de celulose bacteriana com superf?cie modificada por plasma (CBP) no comportamento e genotoxicidade celular. Inicialmente, a prolifera??o celular foi avaliada com o teste MTT e danos ao DNA foram avaliados utilizando-se os testes Cometa e Kado, sob a influencia das concentra??es de 0,1; 0,5 e 1,0 mg/ml de nanofibras de CB em contato com fibroblastos 3T3 e c?lulas CHO-K1. Os resultados obtidos nessas an?lises revelaram que a prolifera??o celular, para os dois tipos de c?lulas, foi cerca de 15-20% menor na presen?a de NFs, ap?s 72h de cultivo celular, independentemente da concentra??o utilizada, estas tamb?m n?o promoveram dano significativo ao DNA. Em um segundo trabalho, membranas de celulose bacteriana foram submetidas ao plasma em atmosfera contendo 70%N2 e 30% de O2. Posteriormente foram caracterizadas por MEV e AFM e submetidas aos ensaios cometa, micron?cleo, de ades?o e prolifera??o celular. Os resultados revelaram que o plasma modificou a superf?cie da CBP produzindo uma rugosidade de aproximadamente 70? 5,1 nm. Na CBP, as c?lulas tornaram-se mais alongadas com prolifera??o maior, provavelmente, influenciadas pelo aumento da rugosidade da superf?cie. A nova superf?cie gerada tamb?m n?o foi xii genot?xica. Face ao exposto, este estudo gerou um novo biomaterial que pode ser testado in vivo com futuro potencial para implante artificial