The synthesis of bacterial cellulose is a multistep process that involve two main mechanisms: the synthesis of uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPGIc), followed by the polymerization of glucose into long and unbranched chains (the β-1→4 glucan chain). Specifics on the cellulose synthesis has been extensively documented.[11][12] The former mechanism is well known while the latter still needs exploring. The production of UDPGIc starts with carbon compounds (such as hexoses, glycerol, dihydroxyacetone, pyruvate, and dicarboxylic acids) entering the Krebs cycle, gluconeogenesis, or the pentose phosphate cycle depending on what carbon source is available. It then goes through phosphorylation along with catalysis, followed by isomerization of the intermediate, and a process known as UDPGIc pyrophosphorylase to convert the compounds into UDPGIc, a precursor to the production of cellulose. The polymerization of glucose into the β-1→4 glucan chain has been hypothesized to either involve a lipid intermediate[13] or not to involve a lipid intermediate.[11] A. xylinum usually converts carbon compounds into cellulose with around 50% efficiency.