MICROBIAL BIOSURFACTANTS: METHODS FOR THEIR ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic molecules produced by microorganisms. They are exopolymers of low and high molecular weight, capable to emulsify and decrease the surface tension water. Recently, the interest for its production has increased, because of their environmental, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications, and others. However, in order to obtain a biosurfactant, it is necessary to research the producer strain of biosurfactant, its optimal conditions of incubation and carbon sources. Once recovered the biosurfactants, it is required to know their biochemical composition, for this purpose we have developed sensitive and analytical techniques to discover the wide diversity of biosurfactants The aim of this review is to report fundamentals for methods and techniques for qualitative and cuantitative analysis of microbial biosurfactants. It is aimed at students, biotechnologists and other experts interested in exploring tensoactive molecules of glycolipidic nature. It also contains detailed information about the solids culture media used (specific and selective), different methods to recover these expolymers: acid precipitation and organic solvent extraction. Finally in this review it includes the most innovative and comprehensive methods used for chemical characterization of biosurfactants: spectroscopy UV/Vis, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, gaseous and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.