Production of biosurfactant by Lactobacillus for using in food industry as a substitution for synthetic emulsifiers

Aim and Biosurfactants or Bioemulsifiers are surface tension-reducing compounds that are produced by many bacteria and fungi. Importance of these compounds in comparison with synthetic surfactants can be outlined as no toxicity, environmental friendly, activity in high temperature, pH and salinity. The purpose of this research was the isolation and identification of biosurfactant-producing Lactobacillus and evaluating the effectiveness of produced biosurfactant. In this study, sampling of dairy products and culturing in MRS medium was performed. The isolated strains with capability of production of biosurfactant were identified based on the biochemical and molecular methods. The optimum conditions of biosurfactant production were investigated and its emulsifier activity was studied in a food model system. Altogether, nine strains of Lactobacillus isolated from the dairy products among them, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus had the greatest capability for biosurfactant production. The extracted biosurfactants from both bacteria showed that they have good capability in emulsification process. The results of this research showed that it is possible to isolate strains of lactobacillus with appropriate capability of biosurfactant production and if the costs of production can be reduced, there is possibility of using such strains for production of biosurfactant in industrial scale as a substitution of synthetic emulsifiers in food industry.