S39: Antimicrobial sophorolipid production from fermentation of oil and related coproducts

Sophorolipids (SLs) are glycolipid biosurfactant secreted by yeast such as Candida bombicola. SL is used in "green" industrial and household detergents (i.e., surface-cleaning solution and automatic dish-washer powder) and in cosmetic formulation for skin-regeneration and antimicrobial application. Our laboratory studies the use of surplus coproducts of agricultural renewables as feedstocks for the fermentative production of SL. The goal is to reduce the costs of SL production and at the same time to develop value-added uses for the surplus coproducts. In this presentation, we will discuss the results of our research, which showed that soy molasses coproduct generated by soy-protein industry and crude glycerol produced in biodiesel manufacture are useful renewable substrates for the production of SL. We further developed biodegradable thin films of poly(hydroxyalkanoates) and of pectin and alginate as delivery system of SL for potential anti-acne application against Propionibacterium acnes.