Biosurfactants: moving towards industrial application.
Chemically synthesized surface-active compounds are widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, petroleum and food industries. However, with the advantages of biodegradability, and production on renewable-resource substrates, biosurfactants may eventually replace their chemically synthesized counterparts. So far, the use of biosurfactants has been limited to a few specialized applications because biosurfactants have been economically uncompetitive. There is a need to gain a greater understanding of the physiology, genetics and biochemistry of biosurfactant-producing strains, and to improve process technology to reduce production costs.
Institut für Biotechnologie, ETH-Hõnggerberg, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Fiechter
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001709:Biotechnology; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
D006017:Glycolipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D013501:Surface-Active Agents