Fish heads, fish heads: For biosurfactant production July/August 2022
By Stacy Kish
In This Section
- Visualizing complex, multiphase food using confocal Raman microscopy, October 2023
- A more sustainable future begins with collaboration and data, September 2023
- Brain diets, July/August 2023
- Green coffee beans meet green tech, June 2023
- Fatty acid intake and inflammation, May 2023
- The Wild West of edible oils, April 2023
- The arc of preservation bends toward nature, March 2023
- Cloaking a cure: Lipid capsules save the world, February 2023
- From the farmers market to store shelves, January 2023
- Dogma vs. data: Rethinking linoleic acid, November/December 2022
- Improving food packaging, October 2022
- Proteins for meat alternatives: new competition for soy and wheat, September 2022
- Fish heads, fish heads: For biosurfactant production July/August 2022
- Mimicking mother’s milk June 2022
- Three paths forward for sustainable palm oil May 2022
- Is it time to reconsider the role of saturated fats in the human diet? April 2022
- The continued struggle over biofuel feedstocks March 2022
- A new kind of plant breeding February 2022
- The new bio-based surfactant feedstock January 2022
- Lipid role in the immune system November/December 2021
- New essential dietary lipids? October 2021
- Gut Instincts September 2021
- Can computers make better plant-based foods? July/August 2021
- Poisson from a petri dish June 2021
- The latest additions to eco-friendly cleaning May 2021
- Preserving emulsions with plant-based antioxidants April 2021
- Developments in green surfactants for enhanced oil recovery March 2021
- Alternative base oils: a perspective March 2021
- The COVID-19 pandemic, one year later March 2021
- The green machine: commercializing microalgae products February 2021
- Bio-based (edible) oils: feedstock for lubricants of the future January 2021
- The latest on liposomes January 2021
- Fatty acids and athletic performance November/December 2020
- Where are lubricants headed November/December 2020
- New developments in vegetable oil materials science October 2020
- Agriculture at risk: preparing the oilseed industry for a warmer world September 2020
- Science highlights from a cancelled 2020 AM&E July/August 2020
- Managing your career in times of change June 2020
- Lipidomics comes of age May 2020
- Minimally processed oils April 2020
- The high-throughput frontier March 2020
- Nurturing innovation: how AOCS industries are fostering progress February 2020
- The trouble with studying omega-3s and the brain January 2020
- Understanding pulse anti-nutrients January 2020
- Digitizing manufacturing: how companies are using data to improve production November/December 2019
- Weaving together genetics, epigenetics, and the microbiome to optimize human nutrition October 2019
- Taking the cream out of ice cream September 2019
- Science highlights from St. Louis July/August 2019
- Biotechnology conquers consumer goods June 2019
- Cool characterization methods and where to find them May 2019
- Fermentation, the new protein supply chain April 2019
- Oleogels for drug delivery March 2019
- The complexity of clean-label cosmetics February 2019
- Rethinking plastic packaging January 2019
- Trends in synthetic and natural antioxidants for shelf life extension of meat and meat products November/December 2018
- The icing on the cake October 2018
- Enhancing oxidative stability and shelf life of frying oils with antioxidants September 2018
- Under arrest: investigating factors that govern partial coalescence July/August 2018
- Unconventional Oils June 2018
- Beauty from within May 2018
- Pulses rising April 2018
- Lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey March 2018
- Clean meat February 2018
- What makes your shortening suitable for fancy croissants, puff and Danish pastry? January 2018
- Strategic role of peanuts in sustainable global food security November/December 2017
- Science beyond borders: international student exchange October 2017
- Clean label: the next generation September 2017
- Science snapshots from Orlando July/August 2017
- Five new AOCS methods June 2017
- The whys and wherefores of life-cycle assessment May 2017
- China’s evolving edible oils industry April 2017
- The mysterious case of the arsenolipids March 2017
- Red palm oil February 2017
- The Highs and Lows of Cannabis Testing October 2016
- Chia: Superfood or superfad? January 2017
- Generational training divide November/December 2016
- Storage stability of roasted nuts and stabilization strategy using natural antioxidants September 2016
- Good vibrations: online and at-line monitoring of edible oils with vibrational spectroscopy July/August 2016
- Benchtop NMR spectroscopy for meat authentication June 2016
- Coconut oil boom May 2016
- Sink or swim: fish oil supplements and human health April 2016
- Pulsed electric field: groundbreaking technology for improving olive oil extraction March 2016
- Prescribing dietary fat: therapeutic uses of ketogenic diets February 2016
- Organogels of vegetable oil with plant wax January 2016
- The power of peptides November/December 2015
- Separation anxiety: membrane cleaning in the 21st century October 2015
- Using direct solid phase extraction to analyze persistent organic pollutants in oily food samples September 2015
- Big fat controversy: changing opinions about saturated fats June 2015
- Use of spent bleaching earth for economic and environmental benefit May 2015
- An introduction to cosmetic technology April 2015
- Food texture and nutrition: the changing roles of hydrocolloids and food fibers March 2015
- Scientists rank thousands of substances according to potential exposure level March 2015
- Clean smell does not always equal clean air February 2015
- Biotechnology: Using living systems to solve problems February 2015
- Flush to fuel January 2015
- 1970s fish oil study criticized January 2015
- Developing a high-performance, low-streak degreaser November/December 2014
- Detection, monitoring, and deleterious health effects of lipid oxidation November/December 2014
- Modified protein mimics taste and texture of fat October 2014
- Development of the first efficient membrane separations of cis fatty acids October 2014
- Regulatory updates on FSMA and combustible dust September 2014
- How enzymes are transforming manufacturing September 2014
- Two advances in biodiesel technology July/August 2014
- 2014 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo July 2014
- Peanut genome sequenced June 2014
- A customized approach to frying oil June 2014
- Omics reveals subtle changes in carbon flux that lead to increased oil biosynthesis in oil palm May 2014
- Cannabis testing: a review of the current landscape May 2014
- Industrial hemp gaining traction April 2014
- Emulsions: making oil and water mix April 2014
- Lipid co-oxidation of proteins: One size does not fit all March 2014
- FSMA marches on March 2014
- Disruptive technology? Walmart’s “green” product line may signal a big change February 2014
- Pathways to novel chemicals February 2014
- Specialty lipids in pet nutrition January 2014
- EFSA releases preliminary report on occurrence of 3-MCPD in food January 2014
- Seven new biobased surfactant technologies November/December 2013
- Do oil color scales make you see red . . . or yellow? November/December 2013
- Shortage leads to green route to olefins October 2013
- Sesamol: a natural antioxidant for frying oil September 2013
- FSMA update September 2013
- Patent rights and biotech seeds July August 2013
- The other vitamin E July 2013
- Frac fever heats up June 2013
- Fat fight: Catch-22 for Western oleochemicals? June 2013
- Health and Nutrition News April 2013
- FDA asks for fees from industry to fund FSMA June 2013
- What does it take to start a biodiesel industry? April 2013
- What’s in a Claim? Would a Food Not Labeled “Natural” Taste as Sweet? March 2013
- Regulatory overview March 2013
- The preservative wars February 2013
- Plants producing DHA February 2013
- Swift response to paper on feeding GMO corn, glyphosate January 2013
- AOCS: supporting international standards January 2013
- TSCA and the regulation of renewable chemicals July August 2013
- trans Fatty acid content of foods in China January 2013
- A novel green catalytic process for biodiesel production from Jatropha November/December 2012
- The America Invents Act: Groundbreaking US patent law changes are here November/December 2012
- “Super Phos” esters: the key to higher-performance products November/December 2012
- Advances in field-portable mass spectrometers for on-site analytics October 2012
- EFSA sets upper intake level for LC-PUFA October 2012
- Malaysia: economic transformation advances oil palm industry September 2012
- High-oleic canola oils and their food applications September 2012
- Using enzymes to prepare biobased surfactants July/August 2012
- Oilseeds: at the center of food, water, and energy security July/August 2012
- Health & Nutrition News June 2012
- Hydrocolloids get personal June 2012
- The secrets of Belgian chocolate May 2012
- Plants “remember” drought, adapt May 2012
- The power of mass spectrometry in the detection of fraud April 2012
- Oil in biomass: a step-change for bioenergy production? April 2012
- The Future of LAB March 2012
- World supplies of rapeseed and canola likely to remain tight in the 2012/13 season March 2012
- Methods for differentiating recycled cooking oil needed in China February 2012
- Supercritical fluid-based extraction/processing: then and now February 2012
- Singapore: the place to be in 2012 February 2012
- The Food Safety Modernization Act and its relevance to the oilseed industry February 2012
- Oilseeds in Australia January 2012
- Hydrogen peroxide in home-care formulations November 2011
- A new generation of renewable fuels is on the horizon November 2011
- Omega-3 fatty acids: $13 billion global market October 2011
- Soy and breast cancer October 2011
- EU approves food labeling rules September 2011
- IOM panel recommends tripling vitamin D intake: Panel’s conservative approach receives criticism September 2011
- Self-assembly of lyotropic liquid crystals: from fundamentals to applications August 2011
- Sustainability watch July 2011
- Sustainability Watch July 2011
- Are algae really feasible as fuel? June 2011
- The trouble with crystal polymorphism June 2011
- Insect oils: Nutritional and industrial applications May 2011
- Reconstructing formulas April 2011
- US eggs now lower in cholesterol April 2011
- How to control eating behavior--in mice March 2011
- Maybe we don’t know beans March 2011
- Short- and long-term price forecasting for palm and lauric oils February 2011
- New 3-MCPD (glycidol ester) method February 2011
- Regulatory issues associated with the international oils & fats trade January 2011
- Point-counterpoint on UC Davis olive oil report January 2011
- Biomass--The next revolution in surfactants? December 2010
- One person’s response to a high omega-6 diet November 2010
- Crop residues as feedstock for renewable fuels November 2010
- Universal detectors for determination of lipids in biodiesel production October 2010
- New very long chain fatty acid seed oils produced through introduction of strategic genes into Brassica carinata October 2010
- Surfactants based on monounsaturated fatty acids for enhanced oil recovery September 2010
- Questioning the virginity of olive oils September 2010
- Dietary guidelines report released August 2010
- Keeping up with detergent chemistry August 2010
- News from the Expo floor July 2010
- Degumming revisited July 2010
- First high-GLA safflower oil on market June 2010
- AOCS 2.0 debuts June 2010
- Palm fatty acid distillate biodiesel: Next-generation palm biodiesel May 2010
- Palm oil pundit speaks May 2010
- What is unrefined, extra virgin cold-pressed avocado oil? April 2010
- The ultra-low-linolenic soybean market April 2010
- Dealing with the media: A cautionary tale March 2010
- Hempseed oil in a nutshell March 2010
- Carbon management 101: A conversation with Eric Jackson February 2010
- Giants of the Past: Hermann Pardun (1908-2009) February 2010
- Q&A with Bill Christie February 2010
- Update on Jatropha January 2010
- Unique properties of carbon dioxide-expanded lipids January 2010
- The market situation and political framework in Germany for biodiesel and vegetable oil December 2009
- Industrial oil crops-when will they finally deliver on their promise ? December 2009
- Chemically enhanced oil recovery stages a comeback November 2009
- Field-portable mass spectrometers for onsite analytics: What's next? October 2009
- To make biofuels, or not to make biofuels:That is the question. September 2009
- Melamine analysis at the forefront September 2009
- Global oil yields: Have we got it seriously wrong? August 2009
- Omega-3 fatty acid profiling and dietary forensics August 2009
- Oilseeds of the future part 3 July 2009
- The rise and fall of surfactants lore July 2009
- Oilseeds of the future: Part 2 June 2009
- Codex Alimentarius Commission update June 2009
- Raw material sources for the long-chain omega-3 market:Trends and sustainability. Part 3. May 2009
- Oilseeds of the future: Part 1 May 2009
- Chloroesters in foods: An emerging issue April 2009
- Raw material sources for the long-chain omega-3 market: Trends and sustainability. Part 2. April 2009
- Synthetic HDL created March 2009
- Raw material sources for the long-chain omega-3 market:Trends and sustainability. Part 1. March 2009
- A convenient way to increase legume intake February 2009
- Vitamin E’s safety controversy January 2009
- Universal mechanism of aging uncovered? January 2009
July/August 2022
In 2010, Deep Water Horizon released over 130 million gallons (https://tinyurl.com/3brsh5u8) of oil, the equivalent to 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools, into the Gulf of Mexico. Twenty years earlier, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Alaska, releasing 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.
- Biosurfactants are compounds produced by some bacteria that replicate the properties of petroleum-based surfactants.
- While many research studies have explored different bacteria grown on different medium, fish waste is proving to be a viable option to grow microbes for industrial-scale biosurfactant production.
- The Scottish start-up company, Eco Clean Team, has partnered with a researcher at the University of St. Andrews to develop a pilot project for scaling biosurfactant production with fish oil from the local aquaculture industry.
- While many hurdles remain, the biosurfactant industry and fish peptone industry are both on the upswing.
Oil spills harm marine plants and animals, and render seafood unsafe to eat. Environmental remediators apply different techniques, including skimming and burning, to remove oil pollution from the water’s surface; however, synthetic dispersants created using petrochemicals, paradoxically, are the best means of clean-up. They reduce the opportunity for the contaminant to reach the shoreline by dispersing the oil and breaking it up into smaller droplets that are easier for microbes to consume. However, research shows synthetic surfactants are often toxic to marine organisms, changing their behavior, physiology, and reproduction patterns. These adverse effects raise concerns about which is worse for the environment—the dispersants applied to break up an oil slick or the oil itself.
Synthetic surfactants are a common class of molecules found in laundry and dishwashing detergents, among other household products. They are ubiquitous in our lives, yet they rarely garner the negative attention of an oil spill, because they are typically unseen. Although, in many instances synthetic surfactants are more pervasive and insidious to the environment.
“When people think about petroleum-based problems, they may think about the plastic trash pile floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but other molecules, [like synthetic surfactants] that are not so readily evident, are also harming the planet,” said Rick Ashby, research scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service. “We are looking at biosurfactants as a means to avoid ecological contamination by petroleum-based products. The challenge is to make them at low-enough cost so they are competitive and compelling for industry to adopt.”
MICROBES TO THE RESCUE
During different stages of growth, many microorganisms produce secondary metabolites in the form of surfactants. In nature, these microbes enzymatically convert the long-chain carbon compounds in oils into a chemical consortium that includes biosurfactants. The compounds vary in molecule length and structure, including glycolipids, lipopeptides, fatty acids, polysaccharide–protein complexes, peptides, phospholipids, and neutral lipids. As with any surfactant, biosurfactants have a polar, hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic tail, that in this case is typically composed of one or more long chain fatty acids (https://tinyurl.com/35tappu2).
“The benefit of biosurfactants is that they are biodegradable and renewable,” said Ashby. “They will degrade into nontoxic materials in nature and can also be produced using renewable materials, like fats, oils, and plant biomass.”
When compared to synthetic counterparts, biosurfactants have a similar chemical composition while being just as effective at breaking up oil and creating lather for personal care products. They function over a wide-range of temperature, pH, and salinity conditions. They interact with a diverse variety of functional groups, which is beneficial when cleaning heavy minerals during environmental remediation. When produced within a renewable framework, biosurfactants also have a smaller carbon footprint than their synthetic equivalents.
Common strains of bacteria and fungi that produce biosurfactants include, but are not limited to, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Starmerella bombicola, Bacillus subtilis,and Ustilago maydis. Scientists still speculate on the reason microbes produce biosurfactants. Incorporating hydrophobic carbon sources into their cells may somehow aid in microbe survival. Biosurfactants are known to protect against gram positive bacteria, like Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Listeria, and Bacillus.
Previous studies have gathered these oil-munching organisms from contaminated water and soil environments. A 2021 study combined a lactonic sophorolipid biosurfactant, produced by Starmerella bombicola, with choline myristate and choline oleate ionic liquid surfactants to create a greener remediation product (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117119). The study examined two mixtures of different concentration of these compounds and found each to be thermodynamically stable and effective at dispersing crude oils. The maximum dispersion effectiveness was 78.23% for the 80:20 lactonic sophorolipid-choline myristate blend and 81.15% for the 70:30 lactonic sophorolipid-choline oleate blend. The high dispersion rates for these two mixtures are attributed to the hydrophobic tail and unsaturation of the additional surfactants, which improved the interactions between compounds in the mixture.
NATURALLY LESS TOXIC
A series of toxicity studies compared the effect of various biosurfactants and synthetic surfactants on marine organisms. Indicator species provide a way to evaluate how the different compounds affect the organism’s physiological, nutritional, structural, and morphological characteristics.

A 2003 study in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, compared three synthetic surfactants (Corexit 9500, PES- 61, and Triton X-100) with three biogenic surfactants (Bio-EM, Emulsan, and PES-51) to evaluate their toxicity on marine organisms and their effectiveness for dispersing oil (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00238-8). The study focused on two indicator species: Mysidopsis bahia, an epibenthic mysid shrimp living in estuarine waters spanning the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, and Menidia beryllina, an inland minnow living in waters from Mexico to Massachusetts. The study found that biosurfactants were intermediate to those of the synthetic surfactants in toxicity. M. bahia was generally more sensitive to the synthetic surfactants. The authors stress that application of the results requires balancing site-specific considerations of dilution, biodegradation, and exposure duration and depth when selecting a surfactant for remediation.
Almost two decades later, a 2020 study in the same journal obtained the biosurfactant, lipoprotein, from cultivated Bacillus cereus to evaluate the toxicity on two indicator species (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111357). The study also evaluated the hurdles to scaling-up production from the bench to industrial applications (fig.1). The toxicity portion of the study focused on the fish Poecilia vivipara, which is sensitive to potassium dichromate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, copper, and zinc. The second indicator species was the bivalve Anomalocardia brasiliana, which lives along the Brazilian coast. The results suggested that biosurfactants are safe and effective to remediate marine environments. The study also concluded that this biosurfactant was biocompatible for industrial- scale production, producing 4 g/L in only 48 h using a lowcost renewable raw material.

Viewable Image - Image of production of biosurfactants
FIG. 1: Studies demonstrate the potential for industrial-scale production biosurfactants and their biocompatibility in the remediation of marine environments polluted by oil spills. Source: Duval, et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin, 157, 111357, 2020.WITH AQUACULTURE WASTE, SCALE-UP MAY BE POSSIBLE
Despite these advantages, scaling the production of biosurfactants remains cost-prohibitive, and hindered by the availability of suitable oils to grow the microbes. To compete in the global market, low-cost production is essential.
Using industrial wastes as feedstocks for biosurfactant production reduces the impact of pollution on the environment and offers a nutrient-rich medium for growing microbes. When processing fish, up to 60% of the total weight of the product ends-up as waste and a troubling source of local environmental pollution. Fish waste consists of a slurry of fish heads, fish skin, fish bones, meat, and viscera. Microbes can transform this rich source of suspended solids, organic carbon, and nitrogen into surfactants. Several studies have evaluated a series of microbes grown on fish waste, compared to other feedstocks, to produce biosurfactants for industrial-scale applications.
Some early work investigated the use of glycolipids as biopesticides to thwart fungal infections and kill mosquito larvae. These compounds are now being explored as biosurfactants. In 2011, researchers grew the phytopathogenic smut fungus, Ustilago maydis, to produce glycolipids using soy- and fishbased oils. The study found fish oil with the addition of lipase, an enzyme to break down fats, produced the highest yield (16.8 g/L of biomass), especially after seven days of incubation (https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMR10.814).
Another study examined two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (H1 and SY1) that were collected from soils surrounding olive oil and fish oil factories across Turkey (http://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-838246320140727). This microbe produces rhamnolipid biosurfactants. The study examined the potential of industrial production of rhamnolipid for bioremediation applications. The researchers grew the two environmental strains as well as a control strain (ATCC 9027) on two carbon feedstocks: kefir, a fermented milk drink, and fish meal. They found that the quality and quantity of biosurfactant produced was influenced by carbon and nitrogen substrates, the concentration of nutrients in the growth medium, culture conditions,—such as pH, temperature, and agitation—and culture dilution rate. The three microbial strains grown in the fish oil medium produced more rhamnolipid than those grown on the kefir medium. The results suggest that fish waste can be an important additive when exploring ways to ramp-up production of rhamnolipid biosurfactants.
In 2021, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, civil engineering professor Bing Chen collaborated on a project with Chinese researchers to study generating fish peptones from the enzymatic hydrolysis of tuna fish waste (https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11040456). Fish peptones are the protein decomposition product obtained from different marine fish species. They are used as a nitrogen source for bacteria (fig. 2). Within their fish slurry, the researchers grew the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis (ATCC® 21332™). Then, they added a small amount of manganese to ensure the microbes produced sufficient lipopeptide biosurfactant.
![a chart [TCA]](https://staging4.texterity.com/informmagazine/july_august_2022/data/articles/img/011.png)
Viewable Image - a chart [TCA]
Image Caption
FIG. 2: Using the trichloroacetic acid (TCA) method, researchers achieved 44.2% enzymatic hydrolysis of fish waste. This is the amino acid composition in tuna waste-based peptone that resulted. Source: Hu, J. et al., Catalysts,11(4), 456, 2021.The resulting biosurfactant reduced surface tension, as well as exhibited emulsifying, foaming, and biocatalytic activity. During the study, the highest biosurfactant production (274 mg/L) occurred between 24 to 36 hours of the fermentation process. The study authors are optimistic that it may be possible to scale-up surfactant production cost-effectively, noting that carbon and nitrogen supplements may be necessary to optimize the substrate (fig 3).
REAL WORLD INDUSTRIALSCALE FERMENTATION
Alfredo Bonaccorso, senior research fellow at the Institute of Behavioral and Neural Sciences at the University of St. Andrews, has partnered with a Scottish start-up company, Eco Clean Team, to overcome the challenges of scaling biosurfactant production by tapping into a local resource—fish oil waste from Scottish aquaculture. According to an article in Fish Focus, the Scottish aquaculture sector processed 192,000 tons of Atlantic salmon in 2020. This market is anticipated to grow, with the potential to net up to $4.45 billion by 2030 (https://tinyurl.com/4znzmprx).
![table [Fermentation]](https://staging4.texterity.com/informmagazine/july_august_2022/data/articles/img/011-01.png)
Viewable Image - table [Fermentation]
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FIG. 3: The results from batch-scale experiments showing biosurfactant production between 12-24 hours, as indicated by a lower surface tension (ST) and a higher critical micelle dilution (CMD). Source: Hu, J. et al., Catalysts,11(4), 456, 2021.THE FUTURE OF THE BIOSURFACTANT MARKET
The ability to scale biosurfactants production will be critical for adoption by industry for a variety of applications. Fish waste may be the key to these future production goals. According to a March 2022 Future Market Insights article, the fish peptone market is on the rise (https://tinyurl.com/2x3rphd7). In the United States and Canada, fish peptones obtained from fish heads and fish livers are used as nitrogen and carbon sources for microbial growth and biosurfactant production. The new process to convert fish peptones has reduced the cost for lipopeptide production on an industrial scale.
The rise in fish peptones parallels the rise in the biosurfactant market. A January 2022 Kingpin Market Research article reports the biosurfactant industry is anticipated to grow at a steady rate due to consumer demand for bio-based, eco-friendly biosurfactants (https://tinyurl.com/2p87wre9). In 2021, the global market for microbial biosurfactants was valued at $19.41 million and is anticipated to reach $38 million by 2027 (https://tinyurl.com/fb9sfpjn). The report focuses on regions of primary biosurfactant production, including China, the United States, Europe, and Japan where the market is dominated by five companies — Evonik Industries AG, BASF SE, Ecover, Jeneil, and Givaudan — that hold more than 80% of the market share (https://tinyurl.com/2s3dbe7s).
Evonik Industries AG has developed a line of products under the REWOFERM® trademark. These products leverage two biosurfactants: sophorolipids and rhamnolipids. Compared to traditional surfactants used in laundry formulations, rhamnolipids allow excellent cleaning using a lower surfactant concentration, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of the formulation.
It is ok for a new, green product to be more expensive than the conventional product on the market if you do not need to use as much of it in a formulated product,” said Derek Dagostino, director Global Marketing Cleaning Solutions at Evonik Corporation. “It really depends on the market application and the formulation for customers to better understand the value that can be created for them by biosurfactants.”
According to Dagostino, the rising consumer demand for green products motivates companies to formulate products that are safe, effective, and have lower volatile organic compounds, common to petroleum-based products. While the Evonik Industries AG currently uses a vegetable feedstock in the production of their two biosurfactant lines, they are constantly innovating and evaluating new feedstocks. Maybe, their next innovation will be fish waste.
About the Author
Stacy Kish is a freelance science writer. She has worked for 15 years to bring engaging stories about an array of science topics to a general audience. She can be contacted at earthspin.science@gmail.com.