ABSTRACT
The development and implementation of a global bio-based economy has resulted in an increased demand for bio-based products. Currently, the surfactant market is still dominated by chemical surfactants and there is a growing demand for biologically derived surfactants. Biosurfactants (BSs) are produced by a wide range of microorganisms, including members of the Class Actinobacteria. This chapter provides details on different classes of BSs produced by actinobacterial strains (glycolipids, lipopeptides, polymeric biosurfactants, and other types of BSs), and the challenges faced in the production of actinobacterial BSs (media optimisation and downstream processing). Biotechnological potential of BS is explored, highlighting some of the BSs that have already found application in various industries. Review on different approaches that can be taken in order to access novel BSs such as genome mining, metagenomics, genetic engineering, the use of waste products in the production of BSs, and accessing new producing organisms by exploring new environments, are also discussed. This chapter concludes with some final thoughts on the current state of the art and future perspectives, highlighting the fact that we have only accessed a small proportion of the BS diversity of members of the Class Actinobacteria.
