Biosurfactants: A Boon to Healthcare, Agriculture & Environmental Sustainability

Biosurfactants are organic compounds synthesized by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, or fungi. These compounds exhibit intricate chemical compositions and unique physical properties, often surpassing or rivaling synthetic surfactants. Furthermore, they typically have low toxicity towards freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems, making them environmentally favorable for various applications. To date, the primary focus of biosurfactant research has centered on enhancing the biodegradation and recovery of oil. These substances have demonstrated their utility in aiding the removal of hazardous contaminants from polluted areas due to their capacity to solubilize and emulsify harmful pesticides. Their versatility as chemical agents renders them suitable for deployment in both biotechnological and industrial applications. This review aims to provide readers with an extensive comprehension of recent advancements in utilizing biosurfactants and the microorganisms responsible for their production. This knowledge encompasses their medical applications, metal remediation technology, and hydrocarbon-related industries. 

Biosurfactants are commonly recognised as biologically derived surface active agents. The most significant microbes have been studied for the production of glycolipid biosurfactants, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida spp. Microbial derived biosurfactants are found commercially superior to chemical derivatives due to their biodegradability, renewability, and good performance under harsh working conditions. It has been found that (isolated) hydrocarbondegrading bacteria produce far more biosurfactants than that predicted from oil spills. This is because all genomes are regulated in lipid metabolism synthesis. The oil and petroleum sector use biosurfactants as an emulsifier for both recovery and removal from contaminated sites. They also play a role in the removal of heavy metals in metallurgy. In this work, we have provided an overview of the screening of microorganisms that produce biosurfactants, production techniques, and variables that affect the production of biosurfactants. Several analytical approaches for crude metabolite processing are also given. Hence, the importance of biosurfactants in environmental cleaning is simply understood from this review.

Biosurfactants are the naturally-occurring surface-active biomolecules produced by microorganisms having a wide range of applications. Because of their unique characteristics like low toxicity, specificity, biodegradability and relative ease of preparation, these surface active molecules have attracted a wide interest recently. The effective and side-effect-free treatment of cancer remains a top priority for researchers despite various advancements in cancer therapy. To go beyond the drawbacks of chemotherapy, it is necessary to investigate anticancer medications derived from natural sources. Since a wide variety of these compounds have revealed the capacity to elicit cytotoxicity against numerous cancer cell lines, hence modulating cancer growth pathways, biosurfactants have recently come to light as prospective agents for cancer therapy. In this context, microbial biosurfactants offer a potential replacement for existing cancer treatments as well as anti-cancer drug delivery methods. The synthesis, structure, and studies of several cancer cell lines, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer, are all covered in this chapter, which summarizes the state of the art on microbial surfactants with anti-cancer potential.

Bacteria that are associated with human health are receiving a growing amount of attention, particularly those that inhabit the body's niches, such as the neural stem, neurons, gastrointestinal tract, skin, vaginal environment, and lungs. Biosurfactants are molecules that are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, and receive little attention among the secondary metabolites that are released by microorganisms that are associated with human health. Not only do they serve as biosurfactants, but they also have the potential to control the microbiota through their antimicrobial activity and quorum sensing system in the complex human environment. They and the human body as a whole are shielded from microbial and fungal pathogens by these functions. Because of their diverse structures, biological functions, low toxicity, higher biodegradability, and adaptability, biosurfactants are now emerging as promising bioactive molecules. As a result, biosurfactants with antimicrobial activity, which are produced by bacteria that are associated with the human body and are related to everything that humans come into contact with, such as food, beverages, and comestics, are the subject of this comprehensive review.

All countries are concerned about meeting the growing demands of the human population in terms of agricultural output in a timely manner. Biosurfactants are substances that bacteria, yeasts and fungus are said to create as green surfactants which are less harmful and environmentally compassionate. Several forms of biosurfactants could be commercialised for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. Surface active molecules are frequently utilised in agricultural soil remediation to improve soil quality. In recent years, the chemical compounds have gotten a lot of attention because they're seen as a viable and environmentally benign alternative to traditional remedial solutions. The bio molecules which showed the potential to replace the harsh surfactants currently utilised in the multibillion-dollar pesticide industry. The microbial population is screened for biosurfactant synthesis using traditional methods. The modern civilization is confronted with a number of issues in terms of enforcing environmental protection, implementation and addressing climate change for future generation. As a result, studies on environmental safety and human are being carried out in order to improve the efficiency of sustainable environmental restoration methods. Cosmetics, medicines, food, petroleum, agriculture, textiles and wastewater treatment are just a few of the areas where biosurfactants have been shown to be successful and efficient. Improved plant pathogen management, antibacterial activity, antibiofilm activity, seed protection and fertility, wound healing and dermatological care, drug delivery systems, and anticancer treatments are just a few of the applications for microbial produced biosurfactants. This study emphasizes the widespread utilize of harsh surfactants in the agrochemical industry and agricultural soil. More research is needed to determine the possible relevance of biosurfactants produced from environmental isolates in plant growth improvement and other agricultural applications.

Biological surfactants are a class of amphipathic biomolecules that contain a diverse range of constituents derived from different biological sources and have been analysed for their ability to lower surface tension. Their distinct properties with cumulative applications have expanded in different fields starting from human health to detergent industry. According to estimates, the global market for biosurfactants will grow from $4.18 billion in 2022 to $6.04 billion by 2029. Biosurfactants outperform artificial surfactants due to their unique attributes. This provides opportunities for commercial utilization of biosurfactants. Thus, the present chapter aims to describe the various biosurfactants present in the market along with their potential application in food industries. 

The demand for bio-surfactants is growing daily over synthetic surfactants due to their less harmful effects on the environment, biodegradability, and nontoxic effects on public health. Biosurfactants play a significant role in foam generation, emulsification, oil dispersion, and detergency due to their amphipathic structure with the hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites. In recent years, tremendous development in research has resulted in different methods to produce several types of biosurfactants from microorganisms. Several biosurfactants are grown commercially and applied in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors, food, petroleum, and agricultural sectors to mitigate environmental contaminants. The current chapter discusses the potentiality of biosurfactants to degrade environmental pollutants in various fields.

Human activities are the principal source of various kinds of hazardous substances in our environment, which have serious consequencesfor the well-being of the environment and people. Using standard means to lessen, degrade, and eliminate these substances is usually causing harmful effects to environment. Pesticides, crude oil sludge, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic in nature. It has recently been shown to be possible to use microorganisms to breakdown and cleanse contaminated soil and water ecosystems, a process known as bio-reclamation. Biosurfactants, which are amphiphillic chemicals generated by bacteria, fungus, and yeast, have immense potential to lower the surface tension of a liquid as well as tension at the interface between 2 liquids or among a liquid and a solid. Additionally, bio surfactants strongly emulsify hydrophobic substances and create stable emulsions. Bio emulsifiers and biosurfactants are especially useful in a wide range of commercial and scientific applications, including pharmaceuticals, better oil recovery, and pollutant biodegradation. Thus, using biosurfactants to reduce crude oil pollution is an environmentally responsible strategy to developing a sustainable ecosystem.

The potential of surfactants has been harnessed to fulfill human purposes for a long time. Biosurfactants are one of the promising bioactive molecules, produced by microorganisms, and subjected to intense research due to their chemical structure, diverse applications, and eco-friendly nature. Nanobiotechnology is an emerging scientific domain, encompassing various sectors like agriculture, medicine, bioremediation, food technology, etc. The discovery of biosurfactant coated nanoparticles has marked a breakthrough in the field of scientific research due to its cost-effectiveness and low toxicity nature. The present review emphasizes the role of discovered biosurfactants in nanoparticle synthesis and its application in the broad arena of nanotechnology and environment concerning issues.

The bulk of metal ions are carcinogens that significantly harm human health by producing free radicals. Therefore, the need for quick and accurate metal ion detection has been a matter of concern. However, the most dangerous metal ions are cadmium, arsenic, mercury chromium, and lead. Heavy metals are indestructible. Instead, they interact with living things directly or indirectly via the food chain. Metal ions have the potential to directly disrupt metabolic processes or to change into more hazardous forms inside the body. Nanotechnology is known as an emerging field that has been utilized for heavy metal analysis and removal from intricate matrices. Numerous methods based on nanomaterials have been developed for the analysis of heavy metals, including electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescent, and biosensing technologies. As a result, in recent decades, there has been significant growth in the quest for more systematic nano-vesicular systems, like nanoliposomes, with elevated biocompatibility properties and directed releases. Additionally, nanoliposome have various applications such as drug delivery in the pharmaceutical industry, storage of food mainly cheeses, and dairy products for a long time in the food industry and cosmetics industry

Modern compounds are called biosurfactants. Their application(s) interfere with day-to-day activities of human beings. The economics of production place a significant restriction on the broad applicability of biosurfactant(s). There can be many ways to overcome this. This study primarily focuses on current technical advancements in biosurfactant research. One of the innovations is the application of metabolomic and sequence-based omics approaches, which have evolved into a high-throughput essential tool for the detection of biosurfactant producers. Many bacteria produce ethanol, microbial lipids, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and other value-added compounds in addition to biosurfactants. The use of metabolic engineering techniques can further address restrictions while also improving the overall process's economics. The yield of biosurfactants is increased by the tailoring technique, which enables variation in the composition of the congeners produced. By enhancing their bioavailability or water solubility, bio-based surfactants have demonstrated promising effects in reducing pollution in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Due to the expanding market for biosurfactants, this investigation identified technologically feasible developments in biosurfactant research that might help researchers create more trustworthy and secure technologies.