Anurag Kashyap

The pressing environmental challenges we face today underscore the necessity for a shift towards the development of materials that are both environmentally friendly and capable of supporting sustainable development across various sectors. Among these materials, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has emerged as a biomaterial with significant potential owing to its exceptional physical, chemical, and biological properties. BNC, a biopolymer composed of β-1,4 linked glucose, is produced extracellularly by some bacterial species, boasting a unique nanofibrillar structure exhibiting outstanding attributes such as high porosity, elastic modulus, crystallinity, transparency, mechanical resilience, elasticity, and water retention capacity. BNC has emerged as a versatile and sustainable biomaterial with unprecedented potential in various fields, particularly in the realm of food packaging. Besides, low-cost BNC production can be achieved using various industrial and agro wastes as substrates for bacterial culture and fermentation. BNC films align with the green chemistry principles, ensuring environmental sustainability and safety to consumers. This chapter describes the synthesis and bioengineering in harnessing BNC for creating green, active, and smart solutions to address contemporary challenges in the food packaging industry.