144
Bacterial Cellulose
Nata de Coco Food Products
One.of.the.first.commercially.available.products.of.bacterial.nanocellulose.
(BNC).was.nata.de.coco..Nata.de.coco.is.a.white,.smooth,.jelly-like,.chewy.
material.that.is.usually.used.for.making.sweets.and.desserts..It.is.produced.
from.coconut.water.or.coconut.milk.by.the.microorganism.Acetobacter aceti
subsp..xylinum.through.a.fermentation.process..Nata.de.coco.originated.in.
the. Philippines. (Lapuz. et. al.. 1969).. The. growth. of. nata. de. coco. pellicle. by.
Gluconacetobacter xylinus. was. first. described. in. the. 1880s. by. Brown. (1886a,.
1886b),.who.identified.this.jelly-like.product.as.chemically.equivalent.to.cellulose.(Budhiono.et.al..1999)..In.1991.nata.de.coco.was.introduced.to.Japan.
through.its.use.in.diet.drinks,.and.it.became.very.popular,.especially.among.
young.girls..Nata.de.coco.can.be.consumed.in.many.types.of.food.items,.such.
as.desserts.and.candies,.salads,.fruit.cocktails,.ice.cream,.juices,.dairy.products,.ketchup,.and.sauces..Nata.de.coco.can.be.used.as.a.texture.modifier.for.
frozen.foods,.baked.products,.sauces,.and.other.food.products..Nata.de.coco.
in.syrup.form.has.a.fresh.taste,.translucent.color,.and.high.nutritive.value.
because.of.its.high.fiber.content..In.addition.to.its.natural.flavor,.the.taste.can.
be.modified.by.adding.various.fruit.or.flower.juices.like.mango,.lychee,.pineapple,.kiwi,.orange,.maple.syrup,.and.rose..Articles.published.by.Okiyama.
et.al..in.1992.and.1993.discussed.the.many.applications.of.BNC.and.nata.de.
coco.in.the.food.industry..In.its.undried.state,.BNC.is.quite.tough.to.chew;.
however,.it.becomes.softer.and.has.a.texture.similar.to.fruit.and.other.foods.
after.being.treated.with.ethanol.and.calcium.chloride..Applications.of.BNC.
in. food. products. are. mainly. as. low-calorie. desserts,. salads,. and. prepared.
foods..This.material.can.be.used.as.a.food.additive.in.place.of.xanthan.gum.
or.as.a.food.thickener.(Okiyama.et.al..1993)..A.health-food.product.derived.
from. 6%. unpolished. rice,. 18%. mung. bean,. 36%. sweet. corn,. and. 40%. nata.
de.coco.significantly.lowered.the.serum.triglyceride.level.in.rats.(Mesomya.
et al..2002)..Additional.studies.of.the.effects.of.food.prepared.from.cereal.and.
nata.de.coco.on.the.serum.lipids.of.patients.with.hyperlipidemia.showed.that.
health.foods.made.from.unpolished.rice,.hulled.mung.bean,.sweet.corn,.and.
nata.de.coco.could.reduce.the.serum.total.triglyceride.and.total.. cholesterol.
levels.(Mesomya.et.al..2006).
Nata de Coco Production
The. most. commonly. used. bacteria. for. BNC. production. is. Gram-negative
Acetobacter xylinium.(Bielecki.et.al. 2004)..A.stable.cellulose-producing.strain.
can.be.maintained.over.many.generations.and.hence.many.years.(Andrade.
Bacterial Cellulose
Nata de Coco Food Products
One.of.the.first.commercially.available.products.of.bacterial.nanocellulose.
(BNC).was.nata.de.coco..Nata.de.coco.is.a.white,.smooth,.jelly-like,.chewy.
material.that.is.usually.used.for.making.sweets.and.desserts..It.is.produced.
from.coconut.water.or.coconut.milk.by.the.microorganism.Acetobacter aceti
subsp..xylinum.through.a.fermentation.process..Nata.de.coco.originated.in.
the. Philippines. (Lapuz. et. al.. 1969).. The. growth. of. nata. de. coco. pellicle. by.
Gluconacetobacter xylinus. was. first. described. in. the. 1880s. by. Brown. (1886a,.
1886b),.who.identified.this.jelly-like.product.as.chemically.equivalent.to.cellulose.(Budhiono.et.al..1999)..In.1991.nata.de.coco.was.introduced.to.Japan.
through.its.use.in.diet.drinks,.and.it.became.very.popular,.especially.among.
young.girls..Nata.de.coco.can.be.consumed.in.many.types.of.food.items,.such.
as.desserts.and.candies,.salads,.fruit.cocktails,.ice.cream,.juices,.dairy.products,.ketchup,.and.sauces..Nata.de.coco.can.be.used.as.a.texture.modifier.for.
frozen.foods,.baked.products,.sauces,.and.other.food.products..Nata.de.coco.
in.syrup.form.has.a.fresh.taste,.translucent.color,.and.high.nutritive.value.
because.of.its.high.fiber.content..In.addition.to.its.natural.flavor,.the.taste.can.
be.modified.by.adding.various.fruit.or.flower.juices.like.mango,.lychee,.pineapple,.kiwi,.orange,.maple.syrup,.and.rose..Articles.published.by.Okiyama.
et.al..in.1992.and.1993.discussed.the.many.applications.of.BNC.and.nata.de.
coco.in.the.food.industry..In.its.undried.state,.BNC.is.quite.tough.to.chew;.
however,.it.becomes.softer.and.has.a.texture.similar.to.fruit.and.other.foods.
after.being.treated.with.ethanol.and.calcium.chloride..Applications.of.BNC.
in. food. products. are. mainly. as. low-calorie. desserts,. salads,. and. prepared.
foods..This.material.can.be.used.as.a.food.additive.in.place.of.xanthan.gum.
or.as.a.food.thickener.(Okiyama.et.al..1993)..A.health-food.product.derived.
from. 6%. unpolished. rice,. 18%. mung. bean,. 36%. sweet. corn,. and. 40%. nata.
de.coco.significantly.lowered.the.serum.triglyceride.level.in.rats.(Mesomya.
et al..2002)..Additional.studies.of.the.effects.of.food.prepared.from.cereal.and.
nata.de.coco.on.the.serum.lipids.of.patients.with.hyperlipidemia.showed.that.
health.foods.made.from.unpolished.rice,.hulled.mung.bean,.sweet.corn,.and.
nata.de.coco.could.reduce.the.serum.total.triglyceride.and.total.. cholesterol.
levels.(Mesomya.et.al..2006).
Nata de Coco Production
The. most. commonly. used. bacteria. for. BNC. production. is. Gram-negative
Acetobacter xylinium.(Bielecki.et.al. 2004)..A.stable.cellulose-producing.strain.
can.be.maintained.over.many.generations.and.hence.many.years.(Andrade.