Microbial surfactants and their potential applications: An overview

Abstract

Biosurfactant or microbial surfactants produced by microbes are structurally diverse and heterogeneous groups of surface-active amphipathic molecules. They are capable of reducing surface and interfacial tension and have a wide range of industrial and environmental applications. The present chapter reviews the biochemical properties of different classes of microbial surfactants and their potential application in different industrial sectors. © 2010 Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media.