INVESTIGATING NITROGEN SOURCES FOR BACTERIAL CELLULOSE BASED VEGAN LEATHER

Chehak Bansal; Divyansha Sharma; Nidhi Sisodia; Chanchal

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v6.i2.2025.4330

Authors

Chehak Bansal Research Scholar, Department of Fabric and Apparel Science, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi
Divyansha Sharma Assistant Professor, Department of Fabric and Apparel Science, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi
Nidhi Sisodia Senior Scientist, Northern India Textile Research Association, Ghaziabad
Chanchal Professor, Department of Fabric and Apparel Science, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v6.i2.2025.4330

Keywords:

Bio- Material, Kombucha, Leather, Microbial Cellulose, Sustainable

Abstract [English]

Background: A vegan alternative to leather is a novel concept, and substitutes are coming up from the most unlikely sources, like mushroom caps, pineapple, seaweed, etc. Bacterial cellulose is a leather-like material produced during the production of kombucha. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the proper conditions for the growth of bacterial cellulose and it’s after treatments for making vegan leather.

Methods: For effective biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose, a sufficient amount of carbon and nitrogen is required. Tea, coffee, and dried orange peels were taken as nitrogen sources, while various concentrations of edible crystal sugar were taken as carbon sources and were evaluated to obtain the best results. After treatment of bacterial cellulosic layers was done using various methods, results were evaluated. After drying the bacterial cellulosic layer, vegan leather was obtained. Functional properties of vegan leather were tested as per industry standards and compared on the basis of various nitrogen sources used for production.

Result and Conclusion: The present study indicated that vegan leather made from tea as a nitrogen source had the highest tensile strength, the lowest thickness, and very good water repellence. All three, tea, coffee, and sugar, can be used as good nitrogen sources for the propagation of bacterial cellulose. All of these could be used as economic as well as eco-friendly sources for making vegan leather.

References

Choi, S. M., & Shin, E. J. (2020). The nanofication and functionalization of bacterial cellulose and its applications. Nanomaterials, 10(3), 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10030406 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10030406

Fernandes, M., Gama, M., Dourado, F., & Souto, A. P. (2019). Development of novel bacterial cellulose composites for the textile and shoe industry. Microbial Biotechnology, 12(4), 650–661. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13387 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13387

Jiang, Z., Yi, J., Li, J., He, T., & Hu, C. (2015). Promoting Effect of Sodium Chloride on the Solubilization and Depolymerization of Cellulose from Raw Biomass Materials in Water. ChemSusChem, 8(11), 1901–1907. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201500158 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201500158

Lahiri, D., Nag, M., Dutta, B., Dey, A., Sarkar, T., Pati, S., Edinur, H. A., Kari, Z. A., Noor, N. H. M., & Ray, R. R. (2021). Bacterial cellulose: production, characterization, and application as antimicrobial agent. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(23), 12984. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222312984 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222312984

Meyer, M., Dietrich, S., Schulz, H., & Mondschein, A. (2021). Comparison of the Technical Performance of Leather, Artificial Leather, and Trendy Alternatives. Coatings, 11(2), 226. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020226 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020226

Mohammad, S., Author, C., Abd Rahman, N., Sahaid Khalil, M., & Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah, S. (2014). An Overview of Biocellulose Production Using Acetobacter xylinum Culture. Advances in Biological Research, 8(6), 307–313.

Molina-Ramírez, C., Castro, M., Osorio, M., Torres-Taborda, M., Gómez, B., Zuluaga, R., Gómez, C., Gañán, P., Rojas, O., & Castro, C. (2017). Effect of different carbon sources on bacterial nanocellulose production and structure using the low pH resistant strain Komagataeibacter medellinensis. Materials, 10(6), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10060639 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10060639

Nguyen, H. T., Ngwabebhoh, F. A., Saha, N., Zandraa, O., Saha, T., & Saha, P. (2022). Development of novel biocomposites based on the clean production of microbial cellulose from dairy waste (sour whey). Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 139(1), 51433. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.51433 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/app.51433

Revin, V. V., Liyaskina, E. V., Parchaykina, M. V., Kuzmenko, T. P., Kurgaeva, I. V., Revin, V. D., & Ullah, M. W. (2022). Bacterial Cellulose-Based Polymer Nanocomposites: A Review. Polymers, 14(21), 4670. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214670 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214670

Saha, N., Ngwabebhoh, F. A., Nguyen, H. T., & Saha, P. (2020). Environmentally friendly and animal free leather: Fabrication and characterization. 020049. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0028467 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0028467

Szlek, D. B., Reynolds, A. M., & Hubbe, M. A. (2022). Hydrophobic molecular treatments of cellulose-based or other polysaccharide barrier layers for sustainable food packaging: A Review. BioResources, 17(2), 3551–3673. https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.17.2.szlek DOI: https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.17.2.Szlek

Wood, J., Verran, J., & Redfern, J. (2023). Bacterial cellulose grown from kombucha: Assessment of textile performance properties using fashion apparel tests. Textile Research Journal, 93(13–14), 3094–3108. https://doi.org/10.1177/00405175231152668 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00405175231152668

Yu, S., Tsai, M., Lin, B., Lin, C., & Mi, F. (2014). Tea catechins-cross-linked methylcellulose active films for inhibition of light irradiation and lipid peroxidation induced β-carotene degradation. Food Hydrocolloids, 44, 491–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2014.10.022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2014.10.022