New substrates for mannosylerythritol lipid production by Moesziomyces aphidis

Promovendus/a: Veerle Akkermans

Promotor(en): Prof. dr. Jan Dries

Surfactants are used in various industrial applications, as well as many aspects of our daily lives, such as in home and personal care. Historically these compounds are produced from fossil fuel, but these have largely been replaced with biobased products. More recently, microbially produced biosurfactants have gained interest due to their excellent interfacial properties and mild production conditions. Mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL), a biosurfactant produced by the yeast Moesziomyces aphidis, are currently produced from vegetable oil, thereby competing with food security due to the fertile land use. In this research, waste and side streams were used to produce MEL, as proof of concept. Furthermore, the used substrate has a major impact on the produced MEL structure. The use of an unconventional substrate resulted in a new-to-nature MEL-like compound.