Biosurfactant: A Biodegradable Antimicrobial Substance

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 increased the use of cleaning agents by residential individuals and businesses that maintained their operation even remotely. In formulating these products, one of the key ingredients is the surfactant molecule. Surfactants, in general, due to their characteristics, can act as antimicrobial agents. The presence of this active in cleaning products facilitates the process of removing dirt and reduces the occurrence of infections and health risks. However, most surfactants present in the consumer market, when used, require high consumption of water for removal and are also discharged into domestic sewage, without treatment, causing toxicity in different organisms due to their recalcitrance in the environment. Thus, the knowledge and use of biosurfactants, amphipathic molecules that can be obtained by plants and microbes, is important. Since, in addition to the same properties found in common surfactants, biosurfactants are highly biodegradable. This chapter discusses biosurfactants with a focus on their biodegradability, the different types of tests applied to assess this parameter and recent studies with importance in the applications of biosurfactants as antimicrobial agents. © 2022 Scrivener Publishing LLC.