BIOSURFACTANTS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recent research highlights the potential of biosurfactants to transform the food industry, focusing on their benefits and applications.

Biosurfactants

• About: These  are active compounds that are produced at the microbial cell surface or excreted, and reduce surface and interfacial tension.
• Substitute: They serve as a healthier substitute for synthetic surfactants in the food industry.
• Green Substrates: Produced using green substrates from agro-industrial waste.
• Physical Characteristics:

o Performance and Stability: Microbial biosurfactants exhibit high emulsification, solubilization, foaming, adsorption, and other physical characteristics, and are stable in a wide range of pH, temperature, and salinity.

o Non-Toxic and Safe: Biosurfactants are eco-friendly biomolecules that do not impart toxic effects and are considered safe for human consumption.

Research Findings

• The study highlights the need for more research on toxicity, dose effects, and interactions with other food components for regulatory approvals.
• Cost-effective biosurfactants derived from agro-industrial waste offer a sustainable and healthier alternative to synthetic surfactants.
• They help emulsify fats, improve shelf life, act as dispersing agents, retain moisture, remove heavy metals from vegetables, boost immunity in fish, and serve as natural antioxidants.

Surfactants

• About: These are molecules that slither across surfaces of oil and water, water and oil, or air and water to form an emulsion. 
• Uses: Surfactants are very useful in the food industry as lubricants and foamers to emulsify fats in batters, improve shelf life, as dispersing agents, and retain moisture.