Kombucha Bacterial Cellulose Obtained from Tea Fermentation for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) driving kombucha tea fermentation produces a cellulose pellicle with remarkable promise for biomedical applications. Unlike well-studied bacterial cellulose (BC), which is produced by single-strain cultures, the underexplored kombucha-derived bacterial cellulose (KBC) can be produced from agro-industrial waste streams and at low capital cost. This review provides an overview of the great potential of KBC for biomedical applications. First, discussions on the cooperative interactions between bacterial and yeast species within the SCOBY consortium that drive the self-assembled production of cellulose at an air-liquid interface are provided. This is followed by an examination of the influence of carbon source, fermentation conditions, and post-processing on KBC yield, crystallinity, porosity, mechanical properties, and water retention. Physical and chemical modification strategies used to tune KBC behavior are then summarized, including silver (Ag) and gold (Au) functionalization, diisocyanate crosslinking, and incorporation as a nanofiller in biodegradable polymer composites. The applications section focuses on wound dressings and antimicrobial platforms, followed by tissue engineering scaffolds suitable for 3D printing and KBC’s role as a drug delivery vehicle. The main barriers to clinical translation are discussed, including limitations in reproducibility linked to undefined SCOBY composition, limited long-term in vivo studies, and the absence of a clear regulatory pathway for functionalized KBC and composites.