PERCEIVING GROWN BACTERIAL CELLULOSE: an aesthetic and sensorial evaluation of a biofabricated material.

Biofabricated and grown materials are an emergent trend in the design discipline. The push towards the research of innovative and sustainable material solutions has recently increased since there is a real necessity to find solutions compatible with sustainable production paradigms. In the presented work, bacterial cellulose (BC) from kombucha tea fermentation has been chosen for investigation. The biofabrication of this peculiar material enables the realization of several textural and aesthetical features, giving the designer important freedom. However, to properly look for possible applications in product design, some precise characterizations must be observed and discussed. In this contribution, the authors analyzed the sensorial and aesthetical dimensions of six different BC samples to highlight and assess the peculiar element of this promising material.