Production of Xylolipid as Green Surfactant by the Yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic substances, secreted by microorganisms. They reduce the surface tension of oil-aqueous mixtures and are employed in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, and agriculture industries. Importantly, they offer some advantageous as biodegradable, non-toxic, and more eco-friendly compounds when compared to petroleum-based surfactants. In this study, the production of xylolipid biosurfactants using cheap substrates by a high potential yeast cell factory Meyerozyma guilliermondii was demonstrated. The xylose-fermenting yeast M. guilliermondii MX strain has been employed for the production of xylolipids (XLs) which are sophorolipid biosurfactants with a xylose-head group in their structure. In shake-flasks, xylolipids production was examined, using xylose and palm oil as co-carbon substrates to achieve a maximum yield of nearly 80 g/L with an emulsification activity of 55% after 8 days of cultivation. Furthermore, M. guilliermondii MX strain produced mixed forms of xylolipids that were detected by TLC analysis. Hopefully, the industrial production of xylolipid biosurfactants could be pursued using a novel microbial producer M. guilliermondii and abundant agricultural byproducts.