An insight into the utilization of microbial biosurfactants pertaining to their industrial applications in the food sector

Microbial biosurfactants surpass synthetic alternatives due to their biodegradability, minimal toxicity, selective properties, and efficacy across a wide range of environmental conditions. Owing to their remarkable advantages, biosurfactants employability as effective emulsifiers and stabilizers, antimicrobial and antioxidant attributes, rendering them for integration into food preservation, processing, formulations, and packaging. The biosurfactants can also be derived from various types of food wastes. Biosurfactants are harnessed across multiple sectors within the food industry, ranging from condiments (mayonnaise) to baked goods (bread, muffins, loaves, cookies, and dough), and extending into the dairy industry (cheese, yogurt, and fermented milk). Additionally, their impact reaches the beverage industry, poultry feed, seafood products like tuna, as well as meat processing and instant foods, collectively redefining each sector's landscape. This review thoroughly explores the multifaceted utilization of biosurfactants within the food industry as emulsifiers, antimicrobial, antiadhesive, antibiofilm agents, shelf-life enhancers, texture modifiers, and foaming agents.

Biosurfactants as a Novel Additive in Pharmaceutical Formulations: Current Trends and Future Implications

BACKGROUND

Surfactants are an important category of additives that are used widely in most of the formulations as solubilizers, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. Current drug delivery systems comprise of numerous synthetic surfactants (such as Cremophor EL, polysorbate 80, Transcutol-P), which are associated with several side effects though used in many formulations. Therefore, to attenuate the problems associated with conventional surfactants, a new generation of surface-active agents is obtained from the metabolites of fungi, yeast, and bacteria, which are termed as biosurfactants.

OBJECTIVES

In this article, we critically analyze the different types of biosurfactants, their origin along with their chemical and physical properties, advantages, drawbacks, regulatory status, and detailed pharmaceutical applications.

METHODS

243 papers were reviewed and included in this review.

RESULTS

Briefly, Biosurfactants are classified as glycolipids, rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, trehalolipids, surfactin, lipopeptides & lipoproteins, lichenysin, fatty acids, phospholipids, and polymeric biosurfactants. These are amphiphilic biomolecules with lipophilic and hydrophilic ends and are used as drug delivery vehicles (foaming, solubilizer, detergent, and emulsifier) in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite additives, they have some biological activity as well (anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-microbial, P-gp inhibition, etc.). These biomolecules possess better safety profiles and are biocompatible, biodegradable, and specific at different temperatures.

CONCLUSION

Biosurfactants exhibit good biomedicine and additive properties that can be used in developing novel drug delivery systems. However, more research should be driven due to the lack of comprehensive toxicity testing and high production cost which limits their use.

Influence of the Hydro/Fluorocarbon Chain Length on CMC and HLB of Surface-Active Nonionic Surfactants Containing Polyethylene Glycol Groups

Series of cyclic polyethylene glycol succinates based surfactants bearing a hydro- or fluorocarbon group was synthesized and characterized. Evaluation of the surface-active properties of the obtained compounds reveals, (i) the surface tension decreases gradually when is the length of the lipophilic chain increased (ii) the critical micelle concentration (CMC) increases with the number of ethylene oxide unit present in the polar head and (iii) surface tension follows the increasing pattern of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) number.

Synthesis and Monolayer Behaviors of Novel Hybrid Corynomycolic Acids Containing Semifluoroalkyl Groups

In this work, novel hybrid-type corynomycolic acids [hybrid-OH and hybrid-COOH, with semifluoroalkyl groups (Rf-(CH2)n-: Rf = C4F9, n = 6 and Rf = C6F13, n = 3) located on the carbon atoms attached to the hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups (C-OH and C-COOH), respectively] were successfully synthesized. The behaviors and formation of hybrid corynomycolic acid monolayers at the air-water interface were investigated by surface tension and surface pressure-area (π-A) measurements to clarify the effects of the Rf chain length, position of the semifluoroalkyl group, and surfactant molecule stereochemistry. Compared to dialkyl corynomycolic acid, both the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the surface tension at the CMC (γCMC) of hybrid corynomycolic acids were reduced by the presence of the Rf group. With respect to the surface tension versus log concentration (γ vs. log C) isotherms, all syn-isomers of the hybrid-OH and hybrid-COOH acids showed two break points, while the anti-isomers showed only one break point. These different isotherms can be explained in terms of the steric repulsion between the two hydrophilic groups (OH and COO(-)), which depend on the stereochemistry of the surfactant. No effect of the location of the semifluoroalkyl group was observed. With respect to the formation of a monolayer film, four parameters-the lift-off area (AL), zero-pressure molecular area (A0), maximum of the Gibbs elastic modulus [EG (max)], and monolayer collapse pressure (πc)-were measured. Both AL and A0 of all hybrid corynomycolic acids were larger than the corresponding dialkyl acids due to the bulky and rigid Rf groups. Interestingly, syn- and anti-hybrids had almost identical isotherms on compression, although the values of πc of anti-hybrids were higher than those of syn-isomers. In addition, the values of EG (max) of hybrid-COOHs were slightly larger than those of the corresponding hybrid-OHs. Using the nascent soap method (agent-in-oil method), we found that anti-F4C6-OH (a hybrid corynomycolic acid) is a promising emulsifier for a ternary system comprising octane, water, and perfluoropolyether oil.