Biosurfactant

Last updated

Biosurfactant usually refers to surfactants of microbial origin. [1] [2] Most of the biosurfactants produced by microbes are synthesized extracellularly and many microbes are known to produce biosurfactants in large relative quantities. [3] Some are of commercial interest. [4] As a secondary metabolite of microorganisms, biosurfactants can be processed by the cultivation of biosurfactant producing microorganisms in the stationary phase on many sorts of low-priced substrates like biochar, plant oils, carbohydrates, wastes, etc. High-level production of biosurfactants can be controlled by regulation of environmental factors and growth circumstances. [5]

Contents

Classification

Biosurfactants are usually categorized by their molecular structure. Like synthetic surfactants, they are composed of a hydrophilic moiety made up of amino acids, peptides, (poly)saccharides, or sugar alcohols and a hydrophobic moiety consisting of fatty acids. Correspondingly, the significant classes of biosurfactants include glycolipids, lipopeptides and lipoproteins, and polymeric surfactants as well as particulate surfactants. [6]

Examples

Phosphatidylcholine, also known as lecithin, is a pervasive biological surfactant. Shown in @media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output div:not(.notheme)>.tmp-color,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output p>.tmp-color,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output table:not(.notheme) .tmp-color{color:inherit!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output div:not(.notheme)>.tmp-color,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output p>.tmp-color,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output table:not(.notheme) .tmp-color{color:inherit!important}} red - choline and phosphate group; black - glycerol; green - monounsaturated fatty acid; blue - saturated fatty acid. 1-Oleoyl-2-almitoyl-phosphatidylcholine Structural Formulae V.1.png
Phosphatidylcholine, also known as lecithin, is a pervasive biological surfactant. Shown in red – choline and phosphate group; black – glycerol; green – monounsaturated fatty acid; blue – saturated fatty acid.

Common biosurfactants include:

Microbial biosurfactants are obtained by including immiscible liquids in the growth medium. [9]

Applications

Potential applications include herbicides and pesticides formulations, detergents, healthcare and cosmetics, pulp and paper, coal, textiles, ceramic processing and food industries, uranium ore-processing, and mechanical dewatering of peat. [9] [2] [3]

Oil spill remediation

Biosurfactants enhance the emulsification of hydrocarbons, thus they have the potential to solubilise hydrocarbon contaminants and increase their availability for microbial degradation. [10] [11] In addition, biosurfactants can modify the cell surface of bacteria that biodegrade hydrocarbons, which can also increase the biodegradability of these pollutants to cells. [12] These compounds can also be used in enhanced oil recovery and may be considered for other potential applications in environmental protection. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Dagenais Roy M, Déziel E (September 2025). "Microbial Primer: Biosurfactants – the ABCs of microbial surface-active metabolites". Microbiology. 171 (9): 001604. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.001604 . PMC   12413298 . PMID   40911039.
  2. 1 2 Mulligan, Catherine N. (2005). "Environmental applications for biosurfactants". Environmental Pollution. 133 (2): 183–198. Bibcode:2005EPoll.133..183M. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2004.06.009. PMID   15519450.
  3. 1 2 Ron, Eliora Z.; Rosenberg, Eugene (2001). "Natural roles of biosurfactants. Minireview". Environmental Microbiology. 3 (4): 229–236. doi:10.1046/j.1462-2920.2001.00190.x. PMID   11359508.
  4. 1 2 Gutnick, D. L.; Bach, H. (2000). "Engineering bacterial biopolymers for the biosorption of heavy metals; new products and novel formulations". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 54 (4): 451–460. doi:10.1007/s002530000438. PMID   11092618. S2CID   23991659.
  5. ↑ Zahed MA, Matinvafa MA, Azari A, Mohajeri L (April 2022). "Biosurfactant, a green and effective solution for bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment". Discover Water. 2 (1) 5. Bibcode:2022DiWat...2....5Z. doi: 10.1007/s43832-022-00013-x .
  6. ↑ Desai JD, Banat IM (1997). "Microbial production of surfactants and their commercial potential". Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. 61 (1): 47–64. doi:10.1128/mmbr.61.1.47-64.1997. ISSN   1092-2172. PMC   232600 . PMID   9106364.
  7. ↑ Bhagavan, N.V.; Ha, Chung-Eun (2015). "Gastrointestinal Digestion and Absorption". Essentials of Medical Biochemistry. pp. 137–164. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-416687-5.00011-7. ISBN   9780124166875.
  8. ↑ Oliveira, F. J. S.; Vazquez, L.; de Campos, N. P.; de França, F. P., Production of rhamnolipids by a Pseudomonas alcaligenes strain. Process Biochemistry 2009, 44 (4), 383-389
  9. 1 2 Desai, Jitendra D.; Banat, Ibrahim M. (1997). "Microbial production of surfactants and their commercial potential". Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. 61 (1): 47–64. doi:10.1128/mmbr.61.1.47-64.1997. PMC   232600 . PMID   9106364.
  10. ↑ Rosenberg E, Ron EZ (August 1999). "High- and low-molecular-mass microbial surfactants". Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 52 (2): 154–162. doi:10.1007/s002530051502. PMID   10499255. S2CID   23857287.
  11. ↑ Del'Arco JP, de França FP (2001). "Influence of oil contamination levels on hydrocarbon biodegradation in sandy sediment". Environ. Pollut. 112 (3): 515–519. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00128-7. PMID   11291458.
  12. ↑ Kaczorek, Ewa; Pacholak, Amanda; Zdarta, Agata; Smułek, Wojciech (2018-08-26). "The Impact of Biosurfactants on Microbial Cell Properties Leading to Hydrocarbon Bioavailability Increase". Colloids and Interfaces. 2 (3): 35. doi: 10.3390/colloids2030035 . ISSN   2504-5377.
  13. ↑ Shulga A, Karpenko E, Vildanova-Martsishin R, Turovsky A, Soltys M (1999). "Biosurfactant enhanced remediation of oil-contaminated environments". Adsorpt. Sci. Technol. 18 (2): 171–176. doi: 10.1260/0263617001493369 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.