Until now, the production of microbial biosurfactants has been limited to the use of first-generation (food) substrates. Moreover, the results on sophorolipids yield and productivity reported by state-of-the-art fed-batch processes for sophorolipids production remain unsatisfactory and lead to a significantly high cost per kg of the product. With an aim to address these problems, this Read more about Article: “Efficient in-situ separation design for long-term sophorolipids fermentation with high productivity”[…]

Glucolipids (GLs) are glycolipid biosurfactants with promising properties, but up until today these interesting molecules could only be produced using an engineered Starmerella bombicola strain(∆ugtB1::URA3 G9) producing GLs instead of sophorolipids, albeit with a very low average productivity (0.01 g/L.h). In this study, we found that all glycolipid biosynthetic genes and enzymes were downregulated in Read more about New article published on glucolipid synthesis in S. bombicola![…]

Check our newest article in FEMS Yeast Research! In this article, the one-step microbial production of hydroxy fatty acids by S. bombicola was accomplished by the selective blockage of three catabolic pathways through metabolic engineering. Successful production of 17.39 g/l (ω-1) linked hydroxy fatty acids was obtained by the successive blockage of the sophorolipid biosynthesis, the Read more about New article: ‘Production of long-chain hydroxy fatty acids by Starmerella bombicola’[…]

Last week our rock-star LipoActives team joined the biosurfactants congress in Stuttgart – Germany. They return with new inspirations and a lot of motivation for their state-of-the-art sophorolipid research!

Click here to read Prof. Wim Soetaert ‘s last column, published in Petrochem 09-2019.

Biobased Surfactants: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications, Second Edition, covers biosurfactant synthesis and applications and demonstrates how to reduce manufacturing and purification costs, impurities, and by-products. Fully updated, this book covers surfactants in biomedical applications, detergents, personal care, food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nanotechnology. It reflects on the latest developments in biobased surfactant science and provides case Read more about Check our new book chapter in ‘Biobased Surfactants – 2nd Edition’[…]

Have you ever asked what “biobased” means or wondered about the key aspects in developing and commercializing biobased products? This course will answer those questions and more; highlighting the opportunities, hurdles, and driving forces of the bioeconomy. Enroll now on the MOOC on ‘Biobased Products for a Sustainable (Bio)economy’!

  In this article, the production of biosurfactant sophorolipids from several (food) waste streams was investigated, using the non-pathogenic yeast Starmerella bombicola. From a preliminary screening, restaurant food waste emerged as the most suitable feedstock compared to bakery waste, textile waste, used corn oil, animal fat and lipid fraction of hydrolyzed food waste. Restaurant food Read more about Article: Efficient sophorolipids production using food waste[…]

  We have the pleasure to invite you to the lecture “Hunting for antibiotics and anticancer compounds made by bacteria”. Microorganisms have provided humankind with a vast array of natural products with invaluable applications in medicine and agriculture. The advent of widespread genome sequencing has shown that bacteria have the genetic potential to make many Read more about Lecture June 27th: “Hunting for antibiotics and anticancer compounds made by bacteria”[…]

Duesseldorf, 09 April 2019 Last week the partners of the BIG-Cluster project CROSSBEE – Cross-border Bio-Economy Education – met for a final project meeting to evaluate the first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ever produced by a consortium of nine partners. The partners from the Belgium region of Flanders, the Netherlands and the German state Read more about Massive Open Online Course on Biobased Materials produced by nine partners successfully finished[…]