Trends in Research and Development of Biosurfactant

Abstract

Biosurfactants (BSs) are surface-active agents (surfactants) produced by microorganisms. In a broad sense, it is understood as surfactants produced by whole living organisms, but most of the surfactants used as BS in the world are fermented products. In recent years, global leading companies have entered the industrial field, increasing competition in the BS business. Additionally, there has been active BS research in the academic field. A group of researchers, mainly from Europe, have held the Biosurfactant International Conference since 2019 and recently opened Research Topics in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, where 15 papers have been published. In this article, we will outline the situation surrounding BSs and then introduce several selected topics.

graphical abstract