Biosurfactants: a sustainable replacement for chemical surfactants?

Biotechnol Lett. 2012 Sep;34(9):1597-605. doi: 10.1007/s10529-012-0956-x. Epub 2012 May 22.

Abstract

Glycolipid biosurfactants produced by bacteria and yeasts provide significant opportunities to replace chemical surfactants with sustainable biologically produced alternatives in bulk commercial products such as laundry detergents and surface cleaners. Sophorolipids are already available in sufficient yield to make their use feasible while rhamnolipids and mannosylerythritol lipids require further development. The ability to tailor the biosurfactant produced to the specific needs of the product formulation will be an important future step.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Biotechnology / methods*
  • Glycolipids / chemistry
  • Glycolipids / metabolism*
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry
  • Surface-Active Agents / metabolism*

Substances

  • Glycolipids
  • Surface-Active Agents