Application of Glycolipid Biosurfactants as Surface Modifiers in Bioplastics

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Biosurfactants BSs are functional amphiphilic compounds produced by a variety of microorganisms. Compared to chemically synthesized surfactants, BSs are more eco-friendly, biocompatible, and multifunctional. Glycolipid-type BSs are the most promising BSs for many industrial processes because of their availability from renewable resources, such as vegetable oils and sugars, and their versatile interfacial and biochemical properties 1, 2. Sophorolipids SL are a class of glycolipid-type BSs that can be easily mass produced 3. Starmerella bombicola is a high-yield producer of SL over 400 g/L 4 6. Naturally synthesized SL are mixtures of lactonic and acidic forms with a content ratio that depends on the specific species of the producers. SL are surface-active and exhibit low toxicity, high biodegradability, and antimicrobial properties. Many are currently used as additives in cleaning products and cosmetics 7, 8. Mannosylerythritol lipids MEL are also produced by fungal strains of the genus Pseudozyma or Ustilago 9, 10. MEL also boast excellent interfacial properties, specific self-assembly, and a variety of biological activities 1 .

Characterization of Magnesium-Polylactic Acid Films Casted on Different Substrates and Doped with Diverse Amounts of CTAB

“…Kiss et al using Pluronic surfactants [ 17 , 18 ] found differences in water contact angle between 40° and 10° for PLA films without and with surfactants. Similar results were found by many other researchers working with different surfactants, such as Fukuoka et al [ 19 ] or Gifu et al [ 20 ] among others [ 17 , 21 ]. However, Gromer et al [ 22 ], studying the surfactant distribution in films made from polymeric colloids, have shown that there are a large number of factors affecting the surfactant content along the film thickness, such as the type of surfactant and its initial concentration, the inorganic particles present, the size, shape, and thickness of the film, the aging conditions, and even the substrate on which the film is poured.…”

Growth Behavior of Selected Ustilaginaceae Fungi Used for Mannosylerythritol Lipid (MEL) Biosurfactant Production – Evaluation of a Defined Culture Medium

“…They show for example interesting self-assembling properties and phasebehavior (Worakitkanchanakul et al, 2009;Fukuoka et al, 2012), cell-differentiation activity (Isoda et al, 1997) and interaction with proteins (Konishi et al, 2007). They have also been reported to be valuable ingredients for hair and skin care products (Morita et al, 2010;Yamamoto et al, 2012), for agro-chemicals (Fukuoka et al, 2015), and they could be used as surface-modifiers in bioplastics (Fukuoka et al, 2018).…”

Fungal biosurfactants, from nature to biotechnological product: bioprospection, production and potential applications

“…Sodium salts improves the aqueous solubility of CLs and favours the formation of gels in alcoholic solution (ethanol or 1,3-butanediol) [ 119 , 120 ]. CL from C. humicola , when added to poly (lactic acid) films, modifies the surface properties increasing, for example, its wettability [ 121 ].…”