Greener Production of Biosurfactants and Its Applications in Healthcare and Food Sector

Biosurfactants are surface-active biomolecules that are non-toxic, biodegradable, and environmentally compatible. Biosurfactant encompasses a number of structurally and chemically diverse compounds that are classified according to their biological origin, mode of action, molecular weights, and unique properties that make them better alternatives for synthetic surfactants. The amphipathic structures of biosurfactants enable these molecules to play a key role in emulsification, foam formation, detergency, and oil dispersion activities. The main classes are glycolipids, lipopeptides (surfactin), phospholipids, and polymeric biosurfactants. Nowadays, waste management is a major global concern owing to its adverse effects on the environment and human health. This review article presents a utilization of the waste as the feedstock for the production of biosurfactants contributes to environmental sustainability by considering the state of the art of each process step, and also their properties and applications, which are the focus of future studies.