High microbiostatic and microbicidal efficiencies of bacterial cellulose-ZnO nanocomposites for in vivo microbial inhibition and filtering

In recent years, bacterial cellulose (BC), a natural biomaterial synthesized by bacteria, has attracted a great deal of attention due to its many precious properties including excellent porosity and substantial total surface area. In this report, we attempt to synthesize bacterial cellulose-ZnO (BC-ZnO) nanocomposites by coating a nanolayer of ZnO on the 3D scaffold structures of BC substrate collected from kombucha fermentation. The results showed that a 45-nm layer of ZnO was successfully coated on the scaffold structures with a high density, high purity, and high crystallization. The BC-ZnO nanocomposite demonstrated good microbiostatic and microbicidal efficiencies against E. coli , C. albicans , and Aspergillus niger ( A. niger ). As a proof-of-concept, the BC-ZnO nanocomposite was implemented as a thin film for apple fruit preservation which could maintain the freshness and slow down the decay process of the infectious apple for 6 days. Additionally, the BC-ZnO nanocomposite also demonstrated promising potential for filtering bacteria and yeasts.