A Review on the toxicology and dietetic role of bacterial cellulose

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer synthesized by certain acetic acid bacteria strains. The safety of BC regarding its potential use in food applications is here reviewed. The acute, sub-acute and subchronic oral toxicity assays showed that consumption of BC had no adverse effects in rats. Several studies demonstrated that BC is not genotoxic, did not induce chromosomal aberrations in CHO cells under both non-activating and metabolic activating conditions, is inactive in the in vitro Rat Primary Hepatocyte Unscheduled DNA Synthesis Assay, had no reproductive toxicity in mice and exerted no embryotoxicity and teratogenicity effects in rats. Several studies on the BC in biomedical applications further reinforces its safety: a primary eye and dermal irritation studies in the rabbit showed that BC was non-irritating. The inflammatory reaction to subcutaneously implanted BC has been evaluated in animal models and for different periods of time, demonstrating that BC is biocompatible and does not trigger a harsh inflammatory reaction. Altogether, and considering its longstanding history of human consumption in Asian countries, as well as its utilization in biomedical devices, it may be concluded that BC is safe for applications in food technology.