Culture Medium Development for Microbial-Derived Surfactants Production—An Overview

Abstract

Surfactants are compounds that can reduce the surface tension between two different phases or the interfacial tension of the liquid between water and oil, possessing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties. Biosurfactants have traits that have proven to be advantageous over synthetic surfactants, but these compounds do not compete economically with synthetic surfactants. Different alternatives increase the yield of biosurfactants; development of an economical production process and the usage of cheaper substrates during process have been employed. One of the solutions relies on the suitable formulation of a production medium by including alternative raw materials sourced from agro-wastes, hydrocarbons, or by-products of a process might help in boosting the biosurfactant production. Since the nutritional factors required will be different among microorganisms, the establishment of a suitable formulation for biosurfactant production will be challenging. The present review describes various nutrients and elements considered in the formulation of a production medium with an approach focusing on the macronutrient (carbon, nitrogen source, and C/N ratio), minerals, vitamins, metabolic regulators, and salinity levels which may aid in the study of biosurfactant production in the future.

Eco-Friendly Bioemulsifier Production by Mucor circinelloides UCP0001 Isolated from Mangrove Sediments Using Renewable Substrates for Environmental Applications

“…Problems related to the production of biomolecules arise mainly due to the use of expensive substrates [16,17]. The substrates used in the present study are economically attractive: corn steep liquor, a cheap alternative to synthetic nitrogen sources, and residual frying oil, compared to fresh vegetable oils used [18,19].…”

Optimized Biosurfactant Production by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Strain CGA1 Using Agro-Industrial Waste as Sole Carbon Source

“…The selection of appropriate carbon and nitrogen sources or other nutrients is one of the most critical stages in the development of an efficient and economic biosurfactant production process [39]. Although most microorganisms produce biosurfactants in the presence of water-soluble substrates such as glucose, sucrose, glycerol, maltose, and other carbohydrates, the use of low-cost raw material as a carbon source is being emphasized on, to reduce production cost [40]. In line with one of the waste management strategies (reuse) and for cost-effective production of biosurfactant, several waste materials were screened for use as the carbon source for biosurfactant production by the P. aeruginosa strain CGA1 in this study.…”

Microbial Culture in Minimal Medium With Oil Favors Enrichment of Biosurfactant Producing Genes

“…Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules that can be classified in different categories, one of which is by their molecular weight (Karlapudi et al, 2018). Low molecular weight biosurfactants are usually glycolipids (as rhamnolipids) or lipopeptides (as surfactin), while high molecular weight biosurfactants include amphipathic polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, proteins, and lipoproteins (Karlapudi et al, 2018;Nurfarahin et al, 2018). Most biosurfactants are synthesized by non-ribosomal pathways, however, the mechanisms that control their synthesis and production are poorly understood, which demands investigation (Nurfarahin et al, 2018).…”

“…Low molecular weight biosurfactants are usually glycolipids (as rhamnolipids) or lipopeptides (as surfactin), while high molecular weight biosurfactants include amphipathic polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, proteins, and lipoproteins (Karlapudi et al, 2018;Nurfarahin et al, 2018). Most biosurfactants are synthesized by non-ribosomal pathways, however, the mechanisms that control their synthesis and production are poorly understood, which demands investigation (Nurfarahin et al, 2018). The recent discovery of a ribosomal protein with surfactant properties, named MBSP1, emphasizes the advantage of furthering the knowledge about biosurfactant biosynthesis (Araújo et al, 2020).…”