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The use of bacterial cellulose (BC) in food systems is still limited due to production costs. Nine clones belonging to Komagataeibacter hansenii , Komagataeibacter nataicola , Komagataeibacter rhaeticus , Komagataeibacter swingsii , and Komagataeibacter xylinus species were screened for cellulose productivity in growth tests with five different carbon sources and three nitrogen sources. The water-holding and rehydration capacities of the purified cellulose were determined. The structure of the polymer was investigated through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Natural mutants of K. rhaeticus LMG 22126 T and K. swingsii LMG 22125 T showed different productivity. The factors "bacterial isolate" and "nitrogen source" significantly affected the production of cellulose ( p < 0.01) rather than the factor "carbon source" ( p = 0.15). However, on average, the best conditions for increasing yield were found in medium containing glucose and peptone. Water-holding capacity (WHC) values ranged from 10.7 to 42.3 ( g water / g cellulose ) with significant differences among strains ( p < 0.01), while the rehydration capacity varied from 4.2 to 9.3 ( g water / g cellulose ). A high crystallinity (64-80%) was detected in all samples with Iα fractions corresponding to 67-93%. The ATR-FT-IR spectra and the XRD patterns confirmed the expected structure. BC made by GVP isolate of K. rhaeticus LMG 22126 T , which was the strain with the highest yield, was added to a gluten-free bread formulation. Results obtained from measurements of technological parameters in dough leavening and baking trials were promising for implementation in potential novel foods.