A re-dispersible bacterial cellulose powder
AssigneeCellugy Aps
InventorsAlixander Perzon, Deby Fapyane
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a re-dispersible bacterial cellulose powder and methods of production and uses of the same. The present invention further relates to a bacterial cellulose suspension obtainable from said bacterial cellulose powder and methods of production and uses of the same.
Claims52
A bacterial cellulose (BC) powder comprising:
- a. BC;
- and
- b. homogalacturonan (HG);
- wherein the ratio of HG:
- BC is at least 0.02:1 (wt:wt).
The BC powder according to claim 1, wherein the HG:
- BC ratio is at least 0.05:1, such as at least 0.1:1, such as at least 0:15:1, such as at least 0.2:1, such as at least 0.5:1, such as at least 1:1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the HG:
- BC ratio is at most 50:1, such as at most 20:1, such as at most 10:1, such as at most 5:1, such as at most 2:1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the HG:
- BC ratio is between 0.02:1 and 50:1, such as between 0.05:1 and 20:1, such as between 0.05:1 and 10:1, such as between 0.1:1 and 10:1, such as between 0.1:1 and 5:1, such as between 0.1:1 and 1:1, such as between 0.1:1 and 0.5:1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC has a crystallinity of at least 30%, such as at least 40%, such as at least 50%, such as at least 60%, such as at least 70%, such as at least 80%, wherein the crystallinity is determined with Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) by calculating the peak ratio at 1430 and 898 cm−1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC has a crystallinity of between 30% and 100%, such as between 50% and 100%, such as between 40% and 90%, such as between 60% and 90%, such as between, 70% and 90%, such as between 70% and 85%, wherein the crystallinity is determined with FT-IR by calculating the peak ratio at 1430 and 898 cm−1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder comprises powder particles with:
- a. an average powder particle size of between 0.1 and 500 μm, such as between 1 and 50 μm, such as between 10 and 40 μm, such as between 15 and 30 μm, such as between 19 and 24 μm,
- wherein the average powder particle size is calculated based on the powder particle volume distribution;
- b. an average powder particle size of between 0.01 and 200 μm, such as between 0.1 and 20 μm, such as between 1 and 15 μm, such as between 1 and 10 μm, such as between 2 and 9 μm, such as between 4 and 8 μm,
- wherein the average powder particle size is calculated based on the powder particle number distribution;
- c. an average convexity of at least 0.8, such as at least 0.85, such as at least 0.9, such as at least 0.92, such as at least 0.94, such as at least 0.96, such as at least 0.97,
- wherein the average convexity is calculated based on the powder particle number distribution or based on the powder particle volume distribution;
- d. an average elongation of between 0.4 and 0.7, such as between 0.45 and 0.65,
- wherein the average elongation is calculated based on the powder particle volume distribution;
- e. an average elongation of between 0.1 and 0.4, such as between 0.2 and 0.3,
- wherein the average elongation is calculated based on the powder particle number distribution;
- f. an average circularity of at least 0.8, such as at least 0.85, such as at least 0.9,
- wherein the average circularity is calculated based on the powder particle volume distribution;
- and/or
- g. an average circularity of at least 0.7, such as at least 0.75, such as at least 0.8,
- wherein the average circularity is calculated based on the powder particle number distribution.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder comprises:
- a. powder particles with a smooth surface;
- and/or
- b. elliptical-shapes powder particles.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder is re-dispersible in aqueous media by zero shear or low shear mixing.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder is re-dispersible in aqueous media by mixing with a deflocculator, such as a deflocculator mixer, for example a deflocculator turbine.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder is re-dispersible in aqueous media by mixing at between 300 rpm and 20,000 rpm, such as between 500 rpm and 5000 rpm, such as between 600 rpm and 10,000 rpm,
- optionally by mixing for between 30 seconds and 25 minutes, such as by mixing for between 1 and 20 minutes.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rhamnogalacturonan (RG):
- BC ratio is at most 1:1, such as at most 0.5:1, such as at most 0.1:1, such as at most 0.01:1, such as at most 0.005:1.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the HG is comprised in pectin.
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder has a recovery of viscosity of at least 40% upon redispersion, such as at least 50%, such as at least 60%, such as at least 70%, such as at least 80%, such as at least 90%, such as a recovery of viscosity of 100% upon redispersion,
- wherein the recovery of viscosity upon redispersion is relative to the viscosity of a corresponding never-dried BC suspension having the same concentration of BC, and wherein the recovery of viscosity is calculated using the formula:
- Viscosity
-
- recovery
-
- (
- %
- )
- =
- 1
-
- 0
-
- 0
- *
- Viscosity
-
- (
- at
-
- 1
-
- s
- -
- 1
- )
-
- of
-
- redispersed
-
- BC
-
- powder
- Viscosity
-
- (
- at
-
- 1
-
- s
- -
- 1
- )
-
- of
-
- never
-
- dried
-
- BC
-
- suspension
The BC powder according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the BC powder has a recovery of water holding capacity of at least 50% upon redispersion, such as at least 60%, such as at least 70%, such as at least 80%, such as at least 90%, such as a recovery of water holding capacity of 100% upon redispersion,
- wherein the recovery of water holding capacity is relative to the viscosity of a corresponding never-dried BC suspension, and wherein the recovery of viscosity is calculated using the formula:
- Water
-
- holding
-
- capacity
-
- revovery
-
- (
- %
- )
- =
- 100
- *
- Water
-
- holding
-
- capacity
-
- of
-
- redispersed
-
- BC
-
- powder
- Water
-
- holding
-
- capacity
-
- of
-
- dried
-
- BC
-
- suspension
A method for producing a BC powder, said method comprising providing a BC suspension and:
- b. processing said BC suspension;
- c. recovering said BC suspension;
- d. mixing said BC suspension with HG, thereby obtaining a BC-HG suspension;
- e. drying the BC-HG suspension;
- thereby obtaining a BC powder
- wherein the ratio of HG:
- BC of said BC powder is at least 0.02:1 (wt:wt).
A method for producing a BC powder, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. incubating a cellulose-producing bacteria in a culture medium, thereby obtaining a fermentation broth comprising a BC suspension;
- b. processing said BC suspension;
- c. recovering said BC suspension;
- d. mixing said BC suspension with HG, thereby obtaining a BC-HG suspension;
- e. drying the BC-HG suspension;
- thereby obtaining a BC powder,
- wherein the ratio of HG:
- BC of said BC powder is at least 0.02:1 (wt:wt).
The method according to any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein the BC powder is as defined in any one of claims 1 to 27.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.