Marine derived biosurfactants: a vast potential future resource

Abstract

Surfactants and emulsifiers are surface-active compounds (SACs) which play an important role in various industrial processes and products due to their interfacial properties. Many of the chemical surfactants in use today are produced from non-renewable petrochemical feedstocks, while biosurfactants (BS) produced by microorganisms from renewable feedstocks are considered viable alternatives to petroleum based surfactants, due to their biodegradability and eco-friendly nature. However, some well-characterised BS producers are pathogenic and therefore, not appropriate for scaled-up production. Marine-derived BS have been found to be produced by non-pathogenic organisms making them attractive possibilities for exploitation in commercial products. Additionally, BS produced from marine bacteria may show excellent activity at extreme conditions (temperature, pH and salinity). Despite being non-pathogenic, marine-derived BS have not been exploited commercially due to their low yields, insufficient structural elucidation and uncharacterised genes. Therefore, optimization of BS production conditions in marine bacteria, characterization of the compounds produced as well as the genes involved in the biosynthesis are necessary to improve cost-efficiency and realise the industrial demands of SACs.

Bioconversion of Agroindustrial Waste in the Production of Bioemulsifier by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia UCP 1601 and Application in Bioremediation Process

“…erefore, there is a growing demand for environmentally friendly and low-cost dispersants and, in this context, microbial surfactants were considered promising candidates [44,45].…”

Genome mining and UHPLC–QTOF–MS/MS illuminate the potential antimicrobial active compounds and specificity of biosynthetic gene clusters in Bacillus subtilis NCD-2

“…Based on differences in the number of carbon atoms in the β-OH FA, fengycin had different homologs, and the molecular weight of each homologs differed by 14 (-CH2) [56]. The molecular structure of the lipopeptide determines its biological activity, and longchain fatty acids increase the hydrophobic activities of lipopeptides, making them more likely to have membrane-bound antimicrobial effects [57]. A B. circulans strain produces four fengycin homologs, but only fengycins with C16 and C17 carbon atoms in their β-OH FA chains had antibacterial activities [58].…”

Immunomodulatory Role of Microbial Surfactants, with Special Emphasis on Fish

“…The antifungal activity of iturinic lipopeptides is affected by the length of their carbon-chains. The elongated fatty acid chain interacts with the cell membrane due to the hydrophobic nature of the long fatty acids [ 63 ]. The C 16 isoform of iturin A from marine B. megaterium suppressed the growth of tumor cells by disrupting the Akt pathway leading to apoptosis [ 64 ].…”

“…Some bacteria secrete exopolysaccharides (EPS) which are secreted polymers of sugars. Some EPS are amphiphilic in nature; particularly, BS increases the bioavailability of hydrophobic substrates [ 63 ]. The EPS from various lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been found to modulate immune responses in the host.…”