Current status and applications of biosurfactants
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Madurai Medical College, Madurai-20.
Affiliated to The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai-32, Tamilnadu, India.
Review
International Journal of Life Science Research Archive, 2022, 02(01), 001–009.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijlsra.2022.2.1.0022
Publication history:
Received on 14 December 2021; revised on 24 January 2022; accepted on 26 January 2022
Abstract:
Surface active agents or surfactants are the compounds that lower the surface tension between two phases, like between two liquids, a gas and a liquid, or a liquid and a solid. Most of these compounds are chemically synthesized and potentially cause environmental and toxicity problems. To overcome these pitfalls the biosurfatants are used widely nowadays due to their unique properties like specificity, low toxicity and relative ease of preparation. They are derived from microorganisms, possessing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends. Due to their unique functional properties, they are used in several industries including organic chemicals, petroleum, petrochemicals, mining, metallurgy (mainly bioleaching), agrochemicals, fertilizers, foods, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and many others. They can be used as emulsifiers as well as demulsifiers, wetting agents, foaming agents, spreading agents, functional food ingredients and detergents. In this review, we highlight the classification of biosurfactants, recent important relevant applications, and potential future applications for biosurfactants in pharmaceutical industries.
Keywords:
Microbial surfactant; Emulsan; Surfactin; Application
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Copyright © 2021 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0