ABSTRACT
ANJANA J. DESAI Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, The M. S. University of Baroda, Baroda, India
I. Introduction 66 II. Source, Characteristics, and Properties of Biosurfactants 66
A. Glycolipids 67 B. Phospholipids and fatty acids 70 C. Peptides and amino acid containing lipids 70 D. Polymeric biosurfactants 71 E. Particulate biosurfactants 73
III. Biosynthesis of Biosurfactants 73 A. General features of biosynthesis 73 B. Regulation of biosurfactant synthesis 75 C. Genetics of biosurfactant synthesis 77
IV. Production of Biosurfactants 78 A. Production of biosurfactants via the fermentation route 78 B. Production of biosurfactants via the biotransformation route 84
V. Product Recovery 86 VI. Future Outlook and Summary 89
Surfactants possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic (generally hydrocarbon) structural moieties, which in turn impart many unusual properties, including an ability to lower the surface tension of water. The ability of the surfactant to reduce the surface tension of water depends on its molecular structure. Synthetic surfactants are commonly produced using a variety of organic chemistry methods, depending on the type and structure of the molecule desired. The commercial importance of surfactants is evident from the increasing trend in their production and a variety of industrial applications. The surfactant industry has grown about 300% within the U.S. chemical industry during the last decade. The U.S. surfactant industry shipments in 1989 were approximately $3.65 billion, 14% higher than the previous year [1]. United States surfactant production in 1989 was 7.6 billion lb. and worldwide surfactant production was estimated to be 15.5 billion lb. [1,2].
