ABSTRACT
Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds with pronounced surface and emulsifying activities (Singh et al. 2007). The presence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups confers these molecules the ability to accumulate between interfaces of dissimilar polarities like liquid-air, liquid-liquid, or liquid-solid interface, and thereby reducing surface and interfacial tension at the surface and interface regions, respectively (Karanth et al. 1999). Microbially produced surfactants are soluble in both organic (nonpolar) and aqueous (polar) solvents and categorized by their chemical composition and microbial origin. They include glycolipids, lipopeptides, polysaccharide-protein complexes, protein-like substances, lipopolysaccharides, phospholipids, fatty acids, and neutral lipids (Van Hamme et al. 2006).
