Characteristics of Sophorolipid

Sophorolipids are a class of glycolipid-type biosurfactants produced by yeast metabolism. It has superior interfacial activity and stability and is non-toxic, non-irritating, and easily biodegradable. It has good application prospects in many fields and is considered to be one of the biosurfactants with the greatest potential to replace chemical surfactants. Currently, there are 20 major structures and 100 minor structures of sophorolipids produced by natural yeasts. The complexity of the structures of sophorolipids is due to the differences in the acidic and lactone structures of locust lipids, the degree of acetylation at the 6' and 6'' positions on the locust glycan molecule, the types of fatty acids attached to the locust glycan, and the differences in the sites of attachment of the fatty acid chains to the glycogen. Therefore, to utilize the unique performance advantages of different structures of sophorolipids, the isolation, and purification of sophorolipids have received extensive attention.

Fig.1 Structure of sophorolipids. Left: acidic form; right: lactonic form. (Tang, et al., 2021)

Our Services

Sophorolipid has a wide range of applications, so it is essential to study its production. At CD BioGlyco, we offer the production, isolation, and purification of sophorolipids.

• Sophorolipid production service

At CD BioGlyco, we use a Fermentation Method to produce sophorolipids. The specific steps are:

• Selection of suitable hydrophilic and hydrophobic carbon sources to be used as fermentation feedstock;
• Production of sophorolipid by hydroxylation of fatty acids and synthesis of disaccharide molecules.

Maintaining a high concentration of biomass and oxygen supply during sophorolipid fermentation is necessary to obtain a high yield of sophorolipids. On the other hand, for the use of fermentation processes, we offer fed-batch fermentation, semi-continuous fermentation, continuous fermentation, and solid-state fermentation.

Fig.2 Continuous fermentation process of sophorolipids production. (Tang, et al., 2021)

• Sophorolipds isolation and purification service

Depending on the structural differences of the sophorolipids obtained, CD BioGlyco offers the following separation services:

• Gravity separation, froth flotation: separation of crude products;
• Solvent extraction: quantitative analysis of sophorolipids gravimetrically;
• Chromatography: separation of high-purity products;
• Cryocrystallization: isolation and purification of acetylated lactone-type sophorolipids;
• Membrane filtration: separation of products of different diameters and impurities.

Fig.3 The process of production and isolation. (CD BioGlyco)

Applications

• Sophoroside has good surface activity and can be used in the manufacture of oily products.
• Sophoroside has good emulsifying properties and can be applied to pesticides to replace some of the chemical surfactants that are not easily degraded.
• Sophoroside can form nanoscale particles in water, which can be applied to the research and development of materials for catalysis, filtration, remote sensing, and photovoltaic electrodes.

Advantages

• We provide One-Stop Production Isolation And Purification Methods according to the different production requirements of our clients.
• Our production services help researchers to explore more biological functions of sophorolipids.
• Sophorolipid production technology helps to study the structure and function of glycolipids.

CD BioGlyco provides comprehensive solutions for the production, isolation, and purification of sophorolipids by professional researchers. Meanwhile, we provide customized solutions for the production of sophorolipids. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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