Abstract
Glycolipids have become an ecofriendly alternative to chemically obtained surfactants, mainly for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. However, the sustainable production of these compounds is still challenging, because: (i) water is a recognized inhibitor, (ii) multiphases make the use of cosolvent reaction medium necessary, and (iii) there are difficulties in finding a source for both starting materials. This study used sugars and lipids from peach palm fruit shells or model compounds as substrates to synthesize glycolipids on five different renewable deep eutectic solvents (Re-DES) alone or with a cosolvent system. Substrate conversions up to 24.84% (so far, the highest reported for this reaction on DES), showing (1) the non-precipitation of glucose in the solvent, (2) emulsification and (3) low viscosity (e.g., more favorable mass transfer) as the main limiting factors for these heterogeneous enzymatic processes. The resulting conversion was reached using a cosolvent system Re-DES:DMSO:t-butanol that was robust enough to allow conversions in the range 19–25%, using either model compounds or sugar and fatty acid extracts, with free or immobilized enzymes. Finally, the characterization of the in-house synthesized glycolipids by surface tension demonstrated their potential as biosurfactants, for instance, as an alternative to alcohol ethoxylates, industrially produced using less sustainable methods.
Highlights
By 2023, global biosurfactant sales are expected to reach USD 2.8 billion [1]
The cosolvent allowed a conversion of 24.84% to be reached, the highest value reported to date in the production of glycolipids on Deep eutectic solvents (DESs)
choline chloride (ChCl)-Gly:DMSO:t-butanol was used to synthesize glycolipids using both sugars and fatty acids extracted from a single agricultural residue: peach palm fruit shells
Summary
The growing interest in these molecules is due to their surface activity and emulsifying capacity; characteristics that, added to their low toxicity and high biodegradability, make biosurfactants a promising alternative to chemically obtained surfactants. Due to their broad applicability, glycolipids represent a large part of the biosurfactant market. Their properties depend on the lengths, ramifications, sugars and fatty acid bonds that compose them. It is necessary to limit water content in the reaction media to promote glycolipid formation over its hydrolysis, due to lipases hydrolytic nature. To favor the synthesis, several options of anhydrous media have been explored [7]
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