Bacterial cellulose (BC), a nanostructured biopolymer produced by Komagateibacter
spp., exhibits remarkable mechanical strength, purity, and biocompatibility, making
it highly attractive for applications in biomedicine, food, and sustainable materials.
Despite its potential, monoculture fermentation suffers from low yield and limited
scalability. This review highlights the innovative application of co-culture fermentations
as a novel strategy, where Komagataeibacter is paired with complementary microorganisms
such as yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and photosynthetic microbes. This approach has
emerged as a promising solution to overcome the limitations of monoculture by enhancing
BC productivity, tailoring material properties, and improving sustainability. We explore
the synergistic interactions within co-cultures, including metabolic cross-feeding
and in situ polymer integration, while also addressing critical challenges such as
microbial stability and operational complexity. Unlike previous reviews focused primarily
on BC biosynthesis, applications, or genetic engineering, this article emphasizes
co-culture fermentation with Komagataeibacter as a novel and underexplored strategy
to improve the yield, functionality, and scalability of BC production.
