Natural surfactants and their use in food industry

Abstract

Microorganisms produce wide range of surfactants, generally called biosurfactants. These compounds are mainly divided according to their molecular weight, physico - chemical properties and mode of action. Saponins, plant surfactants, have properties of soap and they are high foaming and therefore are used in cosmetic (shampoos, liquid soaps et cetera) and food industry (sweeteners, food additives into the effervescents et cetera). Most of them are spread in plants of agriculture importance and some of them are basic segments in human food. They often occur in plants (in more then 100 species). Saponins can be find in vegetables as a soya, a bean, a lentil, a spinach, a tomato, a potato, a garlic, a onion. Today biosurfactants are mainly used in bioremediation but they can be utilized in many sectors of food industry. We have paid attention to some microbial and plant surfactants and their prospects of exploitation in this industry.