Colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) are highly stable, spherical, micrometer-sized bubbles encapsulated by surfactant multilayers. They have several intriguing properties, including: high stability, large interfacial area, and the ability to maintain the same charge as their parent molecules. The physical properties of CGAs make them ideal for biotechnological applications such as the recovery of a variety of: biomolecules, particularly proteins, yeast, enzymes, and microalgae. In this review, the bio-application of CGAs for the recovery of natural components is presented, as well as: experimental results, technical challenges, and critical research directions for the future. Experimental results from the literature showed that the recovery of biomolecules was mainly determined by electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions between polyphenols and proteins (lysozyme, β-casein, β-lactoglobulin, etc.), yeast, biological molecules (gallic acid and norbixin), and microalgae with CGAs. Knowledge transfer is essential for commercializing CGA-based bio-product recovery, which will be recognized as a viable technology in the future.
Keywords: Colloidal gas aphrons; enzyme recovery; food extracts; microalgae recovery; protein recovery; surfactant.