Production of biosurfactants using agroindustrial wastes as substrates

Abstract Biosurfactants are biologically secreted amphiphiles of great use in many industrial sectors. They are a promising replacement for chemical surfactants as they are biodegradable, biocompatible, less or nontoxic, ecofriendly, activity-specific, and stable under harsh conditions. However, industrial production is still challenging due to producing organisms having less or limited efficacy, high cost of the fermentation medium, as well as downstream processing and limited knowledge of gene manipulation techniques for overproduction of biosurfactant. The simplest way for economic production of biosurfactants using presently available strains is the use of a low-cost medium at an optimum level to cut down capital cost. Agroindustrial wastes and/or by-products are best as low-cost medium supplements as they supply a complete balance of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and minerals for bacterial growth and production. This chapter describes a brief classification of agroindustrial waste, their chemical components, and recent advances in rhamnolipid and surfactin production using such wastes and/or by-products.