The utilization of agroindustry wastes such as sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for
cellulase production could help to reduce the problem of lignocellulosic wastes. Thus, this
study aimed to use the sugarcane bagasse as a substrate in the production of fungal
cellulases via solid-state fermentation of Aspergillus niger. The variables of solid-state
fermentation condition of A. niger such as sugarcane bagasse particle size (400 and 600
µm), inoculum size (2% (v/v) and 5% (v/v), medium pH (5 and 7), and fermentation time (5
and 15 days) were screened using two-level factorial design (Design expert software, StatEase Inc., Version 8.0). Filter paper activity (FPA) was determined to quantify the
produced enzymes activity. The observation on the structure and physicochemical changes
of SCB before and after SSF using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical
microscope was also conducted. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that the significant
parameters of SSF that affected the cellulose production were particle size of SCB and
inoculum size–pH interaction.
Cellulose facial masks have gained a huge interest in the cosmetic industry. Cellulose can be extracted from plant biomass, bacteria and algae. In this study, several formulated PVA-based facial masks (F1, F2, F3, F4) incorporated with microfibrillated cellulose extracted from sugarcane bagasse (MFC-SCB) were prepared. The concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was varied (5%–20% (w/w)) while the concentration of microfibrillated cellulose of sugarcane bagasse (MFC-SCB) was fixed at 5% (w/w) to get the appropriate composition of the facial masks. The MFC-SCB was
extracted through chemical treatment assisted with ultrasonication. Sensory tests in terms of adhesion to the skin, spreadability, color, odor, and drying time were performed. These tests were carried out by requesting the volunteers to rate the performance of the masks. The results showed that the formulated facial mask F3 (15% [w/w] of PVA and 5% [w/w] of MFC-SCB) has the highest average score (13.9) which is 82% from the total score compared to other formulated masks. However, the standard formulation mask F5 (15% [w/w] of PVA and 5% [w/w] of sodium carboxylmethyl cellulose, CMC) achieved the highest score (13.5) compared to F3 (12.5). The findings of this study proved that the presence of MFC-SCB with PVA has a competitive performance with the standard facial mask formulation.