Korean scientists create one-pot generation of rainbow-colored bacterial cellulose

In South Korea, integration of systems metabolic engineering with co-culture strategies that couples bacterial cellulose production with natural colorant biosynthesis enabled the one-pot generation of rainbow-colored bacterial cellulose, establishing a sustainable biomanufacturing platform that can replace petroleum-based textiles and eliminate chemical dyeing processes.

A research group at KAIST has successfully developed a modular co-culture platform for the one-pot production of rainbow-colored bacterial cellulose. The team, led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, engineered Komagataeibacter  xylinus for bacterial cellulose synthesis and Escherichia coli for natural colorants overproduction. A co-culture of these engineered strains enabled the in situ coloration of bacterial cellulose. This research offers a versatile platform for producing living materials in multiple colors, and provides new opportunities for sustainable textiles, wearable biomaterials, and functional living materials that combine optical and structural properties beyond the reach of conventional textile technologies.

Bacterial cellulose is an attractive and biodegradable alternative to petroleum-derived fabrics due to its high purity, mechanical strength, and water-retention properties. However, the limited color range of bacterial cellulose, which is typically white, has limited its broader application in the textile industry, where more vibrant colored fabrics are increasingly desired. Conventional dyeing methods rely on petroleum-based colorants and toxic reagents, creating environmental and processing challenges. These challenges have driven the demand for alternative production methods.