Cost-effective biological surface activators Synthetic surface activators useful for the food industry can be produced as a healthy alternative by using green substrates from agro-industrial wastes.
Surfactants are molecules that glide across the surfaces of oil and water, water and oil, or air and water to form an emulsion. Surfactants are very useful in the food industry as lubricants and foamers to emulsify fats in batters, improve shelf life, as spreading agents and to retain moisture. However, the increased use of synthetic food additives and emulsifiers in food products has been shown to cause imbalances in the body's microbiome, intestinal disorders and impaired intestinal barrier permeability, leading to a decrease in the concentration of beneficial microbiota. Alternative arrangements are therefore necessary.
Microbial biosurfactants obtained from various microbial sources exhibit high emulsification, solubility, foaming, absorption and other physical properties. Moreover they are very stable in a wide range of pH, temperature and salinity, which makes them suitable for food applications. Biosurfactants are eco-friendly biological molecules (biomolecules) and do not have toxic effects; hence, they can be considered safe for human consumption.