Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Cellulose from plant sources is always combined with hemicellulose and lignin, requiring intensive chemical treatments to purify.
Certain bacteria synthesize and secrete extracellular cellulose (bacterial nanocellulose) that is chemically pure, free of lignin, and highly crystalline.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Among the listed microorganisms:
- Komagateibacter xylinus (formerly classified as Acetobacter xylinus) is a Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium.
It is the classic model organism used to produce bacterial cellulose.
When grown in a sugar-rich medium, it secretes ribbon-like microfibrils of pure cellulose from a row of pores on its cell surface.
This extracellular cellulose has a high water-holding capacity, high tensile strength, and is completely free of lignin, pectin, and hemicellulose.
These properties make bacterial nanocellulose highly suitable for advanced food packaging, edible films, and medical applications.
Wautersia eutropha (now Cupriavidus necator) is famous for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a bioplastic, rather than cellulose.
Aspergillus niger is a fungus, and Bacillus flexus is a endospore-forming bacterium; neither is a primary producer of pure extracellular cellulose.
Therefore, Komagateibacter xylinus is the correct organism.
Step 3: Final Answer
The correct option is (B).