Abstract:This article studied the effects of four different carbon sources (glucose, fructose, mannitol and ethanol) on the yield of coconut gels produced by two strains of Komagataeibacter (ATCC 53582 and ATCC 23767), the structure and mechanical properties of coconut gels produced from different carbon sources under the same concentration of carbon source were also studied. When the carbon source was glucose with concentration of 20 g/L, the coconut gel yield of Komagataeibacter hansenii ATCC 53582 was the highest (6.07 g/L). When the carbon source concentration was 30 g/L, the fiber pore diameters (0.61 μm, 0.48 μm and 0.57 μm, respectively) of coconut gel produced with glucose, fructose and mannitol as carbon source were all smaller than those of coconut gel produced with ethanol (1.06 μm), and their storage modulus (210 kPa, 230 kPa, and 170 kPa, respectively) at the same height of coconut gel (0.50 mm) were greater than the storage modulus of coconut gel produced with ethanol (17 kPa). In the tensile test, their Young's modulus (3.54 MPa, 6.49 MPa, and 5.49 MPa, respectively) were also greater than the Young's modulusof coconut gel produced with ethanol (1.62 MPa).
