Surfactin as an ingredient in cosmetic industry: Benefits and trends.

Surfactin is a natural surfactant almost exclusively produced by Bacillus species with excellent physical-chemical, and biological properties. Among innovative applications, surfactin has been recently used as an ingredient in formulations. The antibacterial and anti-acne activities, as well as the anti-wrinkle, moisturizing, and cleansing features, are some of the reasons this lipopeptide is used in cosmetics. Considering the importance of biosurfactants in the world economy and sustainability, their potential properties for cosmetic and dermatological products, and the importance of patents for technological advancement in a circular bioeconomy system, the present study aims to review all patents involving surfactin as an ingredient in cosmetic formulas. This review was conducted through Espacenet, wherein patents containing the terms "cosmetic" and "surfactin" in their titles, abstracts, or claims were examined. Those patents that detailed a specific surfactin dosage within their formulations were selected for analysis. All patents, irrespective of their publication date, from October 1989 to December 2022, were considered. Additionally, a comprehensive search was performed in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, spanning from their inception until the year 2023. This complementary search aimed to enrich the understanding derived from patents, with a specific emphasis on surfactin, encompassing its associated advantages, efficacy, mechanisms of action on the skin, as well as aspects related to sustainability and its merits in cosmetic formulations. From the 105 patents analysed, 75% belong to Japan (54), China (14), and Korea (9). Most of them were submitted by Asian companies such as Showa Denko (15), Kaneka (11) and Kao Corporation (5). The formulations described are mainly emulsions, skincare, cleansing, and haircare, and the surfactin dose does not exceed 5%. Surfactin appears in different types of formulas worldwide and has a high tendency to be used. Surfactin and other biosurfactants are a promising alternative to chemical ingredients in cosmetic formulations, guaranteeing skin health benefits and minimizing the impact on the environment.

OBJECTIF: La surfactine est un agent tensioactif naturel presque exclusivement produit par les espèces de Bacillus, qui présente d'excellentes propriétés physico-chimiques et biologiques. Parmi les applications innovantes, la surfactine a été récemment utilisée comme ingrédient dans les formulations. Les activités antibactériennes et anti-acnéiques, ainsi que les propriétés antirides, hydratantes et nettoyantes, sont quelques-unes des raisons pour lesquelles ce lipopeptide est utilisé dans les cosmétiques. Compte tenu de l'importance des biosurfactants pour l'économie mondiale et la durabilité, de leurs propriétés potentielles pour les produits cosmétiques et dermatologiques, et de l'importance des brevets pour les progrès technologiques dans un système de bioéconomie circulaire, la présente étude vise à passer en revue tous les brevets impliquant la surfactine en tant qu'ingrédient dans les formules cosmétiques. MÉTHODES: Cet examen a été mené en utilisant Espacenet, dans lequel les brevets contenant les termes « cosmétique ¼ et « surfactine ¼ dans leurs titres, résumés ou revendications ont été examinés. Les brevets détaillant un dosage spécifique de surfactine dans leurs formulations ont été sélectionnés pour l'analyse. Tous les brevets, quelle que soit leur date de publication, d'octobre 1989 à décembre 2022, ont été pris en compte. En outre, une recherche complète a été effectuée dans les bases de données MEDLINE et EMBASE, depuis leur création jusqu'à l'année 2023. Cette recherche complémentaire visait à enrichir la compréhension dérivée de brevets, en mettant l'accent sur la surfactine, ses avantages associés, son efficacité, ses mécanismes d'action sur la peau, ainsi que les aspects liés à la durabilité et ses mérites dans les formulations cosmétiques. RÉSULTATS: Sur les 105 brevets analysés, 75 % appartiennent au Japon (54), à la Chine (14) et à la Corée (9). La plupart d'entre eux ont été soumis par des sociétés asiatiques telles que Showa Denko (15), Kaneka (11) et Kao Corporation (5). Les formulations décrites sont principalement des émulsions, des soins de la peau, des nettoyants et des soins capillaires, et la dose de surfactine n'excède pas 5 %. CONCLUSIONS: La surfactine apparaît dans différents types de formules dans le monde et conserve une forte tendance à l'utilisation. La surfactine et d'autres biosurfactants sont une alternative prometteuse aux ingrédients chimiques dans les formulations cosmétiques, garantissant des bénéfices pour la santé de la peau et minimisant l'impact sur l'environnement.

Spent coffee grounds as feedstock for the production of biosurfactants and the improved recovery of melanoidins.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are wastes generated in high amounts worldwide. Their composition makes them a promising feedstock for biotechnological processes. Here we show that the production of the biosurfactant surfactin by submerged culture of a Bacillus subtilis strain growing on SCG is possible, reaching concentrations up to 8.8 mg/L when using SCG at 8.3 g/L in the medium. In addition, we report a synergy between the production of surfactin and the recovery of melanoidins, an added-value compound already present in SCG. More specifically, the concentration of melanoidins in the culture medium increased between 2.1 and 2.5 times thanks to the presence of the B. subtilis in the culture. Furthermore, we have observed a strong interaction between surfactin and melanoidin aggregates through dynamic light scattering measurements, and that both of them can be co-purified with an acid precipitation. We have also characterized the interfacial and antioxidant properties of the cell-free supernatant and surfactin extract, as well as the distribution of the congeners of the biosurfactant. Altogether, this work describes a promising approach to obtain biosurfactants and antioxidant molecules in a single operation, which can be used to design several new formulations of interest for bioremediation, amendment of soils, food and cosmetics.

Biosurfactant production by Trametes versicolor grown on two-phase olive mill waste in solid-state fermentation.

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds of microbial origin which exhibit better properties than their chemically derived counterparts. They are usually produced in submerged fermentation by different types of bacteria. However, biosurfactant production by fungi, particularly of the white-rot type, has been scarcely studied. In this work, and for the first time, we report the production of biosurfactants by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, which was grown on two-phase olive mill waste (TPOMW) in a solid-state fermentation system. The effect of the composition of the culture medium on biosurfactant production was also studied. The highest biosurfactant production (373.6 ± 19.4 mg in 100 g of culture medium) was achieved with a medium containing 35% (w/w) of TPOMW, the highest concentration used, 10% of wheat bran and 55% of olive stones. Interestingly, no inhibition of biosurfactant production by TPOMW was detected within the concentration range used (5-35% w/w). The biosurfactant produced by T. versicolor was able to reduce the surface tension of an aqueous extract of the culture medium up to 34.5 ± 0.3 mN m-1. A preliminary study of the chemical structure of the biosurfactant indicated that it contains both lipid and protein fractions. The simultaneous production of lignin-degrading enzymes was also assessed.

Hydrolysis of olive mill waste to enhance rhamnolipids and surfactin production.

The aim of this work was to demonstrate the effectiveness of hydrolysis pretreatment of olive mill (OMW) waste before use as a carbon source in biosurfactant production by fermentation. Three hydrolysis methods were assessed: enzymatic hydrolysis, acid pretreatment plus enzymatic hydrolysis, and acid hydrolysis. Fermentation was carried out using two bacterial species: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. Our results showed that the enzymatic hydrolysis was the best pretreatment, yielding up to 29.5 and 13.7mg/L of rhamnolipids and surfactins respectively. Glucose did not show significant differences in comparison to enzymatically hydrolysed OMW. At the best conditions found rhamnolipids and surfactins reached concentrations of 299 and 26.5mg/L; values considerably higher than those obtained with non-hydrolysed OMW. In addition, enzymatic pretreatment seemed to partially reduce the inhibitory effects of OMW on surfactin production. Therefore, enzymatic hydrolysis proved to effectively increase the productivity of these biosurfactants using OMW as the sole carbon source.

Ozone degradation of alkylbenzene sulfonate in aqueous solutions using a stirred tank reactor with recirculation.

The degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in aqueous solutions by ozone has been investigated. The ozonation process was performed in a stirred tank reactor with recirculation which simulates the clean-in-place process used in many industrial facilities. The gas-liquid mass transfer of ozone in a buffer solution at different temperatures (25-55°C) was also studied in the same device, revealing that ozone decomposition can be considered negligible under the experimental conditions assayed. The effect of the initial LAS concentration, temperature, and ozone concentration on the concentration of homologues and total LAS were analysed as a function of time. Both concentrations diminished with time, this effect being more significant when higher temperatures were assayed. The relative proportion of homologues shows that the homologues of higher chain length are degraded in a greater proportion than are the homologues with shorter chain lengths.