Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a polymer synthesized by bacteria with high purity, significant porosity, crystallinity, high water absorption capacity, and superior mechanical properties. BC has extensive applications in food packaging, medicine, and agriculture. However, pristine BC has certain limitations that restrict its broader application. One significant limitation is its lack of inherent antimicrobial properties due to the absence of antimicrobial functional groups in its composition. Therefore, various methods have been employed to endow BC with antimicrobial capabilities. This review presents a comprehensive survey of the literature concerning various methods for the production of antimicrobial BC. The approaches are primarily categorized into two main groups: the in-situ strategy, where an antimicrobial agent is integrated into the BC matrix during its biosynthesis, and the ex-situ method, which involves the post-synthesis functionalization of BC. The ex-situ method is further categorized into four subcategories: blending BC with antimicrobial polymers, encapsulating BC with antimicrobial substances, covalently grafting antimicrobial functional groups onto the BC structure, and fabricating BC-based nanocomposites by incorporating inorganic antimicrobial nanomaterials. Each strategy is thoroughly discussed, and the effectiveness of these strategies in imparting antimicrobial properties to the BC matrix is explained, supported by numerous examples from the literature.
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.