Composite of silver-bacterial cellulose from cassava (Manihot esculenta) and its antibacterial activity.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an agricultural product that abundant in Indonesia and mainly used as source of carbohydrate consumption. This study aimed to utilize the waste water of cassava for producing the bacterial cellulose (BC) as a starting material to form novel composite of Ag/BC. The composite was prepared by impregnating silver solution into the BC network and followed by reduction process using NaBH4. The morphological surface of the Ag/BC composite was evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The results showed that the network of Ag/BC composite consist of fibril with width below 100 nm. The SEM-EDX pattern also presented that silver particles were incorporated into the BC network. Meanwhile the functional group of the Ag/BC composite was also characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The antibacterial activity of Ag/BC composite from cassava was performed against 5 bacterial pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Salmonella typhi (ST), Escherichia coli (EC), Bacillus subtilis (BS), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). The result showed that Ag/BC composite could inhibit five pathogen bacteria with good result with inhibition zone in the range of 7.11±0.3 to 8.22±0.7 mm. This study showed the potential application of Ag/BC composite from cassava waste water as a natural agent for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purpose, especially as an antimicrobial agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]