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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #369640
Research Project: Commercial Products from Microbial Lipids

Location: Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research

Title: Biosynthesis and applications of microbial glycolipid biosurfactants

Author
item Ashby, Richard - Rick
item Solaiman, Daniel

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2020
Publication Date: 7/17/2020
Citation: Ashby, R.D., Solaiman, D. 2020. Biosynthesis and applications of microbial glycolipid biosurfactants. ACS Symposium Series. Washington, DC: ACS Press. 1347, p. 63-82.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Biosurfactants are a broad class of amphiphilic molecules that are derived primarily from renewable materials through microbially-sourced biosynthetic processes. Glycolipids represent a major sector of fermentation-based biosurfactants whose properties mimic those of other more well-known petroleum-based surfactants. As their name suggests, glycolipids are typically composed of saccharide headgroups and fatty acid tails and are compositionally distinct based on the producing microbial strains and the feedstocks from which they are synthesized. Sophorolipids, and rhamnolipids, are two glycolipids that have been demonstrated to possess properties necessary for environmentally-benign applications. As such, this chapter will focus primarily on advances in the biosynthesis, properties and applications of these valuable glycolipid biosurfactants.