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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications
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Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 4524

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Marcia Nitschke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
São Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC), University of São Paulo, Trabalhador São-Carlense Av., 400, P.O. Box 780, São Carlos 13560-970, SP, Brazil
Interests: biosurfactants; biofilms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our 2022 Special Issue “Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications”.

The increasing demand for a more sustainable society motivates the search for green and eco-friendly alternatives to chemical-derived compounds. Microbial surfactants are potential candidates to replace synthetics, especially due to their biological origin and production from renewable resources. In addition, the interesting properties demonstrated by biosurfactants are useful for a range of industrial applications, from environmental to pharmaceutical.  Due to their great metabolic versatility, bacteria are the most traditional surfactant producers; however, filamentous fungi, yeasts, algae, and extremophile bacteria and archaea are little exploited. In this Special Issue, you are invited to submit original articles focusing on (but not limited to) the following research topics: the characterization of surfactants synthesized by novel strains, the production of biosurfactants from alternative substrates emphasizing circular bioeconomy, and  the biological activity and applications of microbial surfactants in the health, agriculture, food, environmental, and nanotechnology fields.

I look forward to receiving your contribution.

Prof. Dr. Marcia Nitschke
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosurfactants
  • agroindustrial wastes
  • antimicrobial activity
  • bioremediation
  • biofilm
  • nanotechnology
  • glycolipid
  • lipopeptide

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3295 KiB  
Article
In Vivo Quantification of Surfactin Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Complexes in Bacillus subtilis
by Maliheh Vahidinasab, Lisa Thewes, Bahar Abrishamchi, Lars Lilge, Susanne Reiße, Elvio Henrique Benatto Perino and Rudolf Hausmann
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2381; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112381 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Surfactin, a potent biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis, is synthesized using a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) encoded by the srfAA-AD operon. Despite its association with quorum sensing via the ComX pheromone, the dynamic behavior and in vivo quantification of the NRPS complex [...] Read more.
Surfactin, a potent biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis, is synthesized using a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) encoded by the srfAA-AD operon. Despite its association with quorum sensing via the ComX pheromone, the dynamic behavior and in vivo quantification of the NRPS complex remain underexplored. This study established an in vivo quantification system using fluorescence labeling to monitor the availability of surfactin-forming NRPS subunits (SrfAA, SrfAB, SrfAC, and SrfAD) during bioprocesses. Four Bacillus subtilis sensor strains were constructed by fusing these subunits with the megfp gene, resulting in strains BMV25, BMV26, BMV27, and BMV28. These strains displayed growth and surfactin productivity similar to those of the parental strain, BMV9. Fluorescence signals indicated varying NRPS availability, with BMV27 showing the highest and BMV25 showing the lowest relative fluorescence units (RFUs). RFUs were converted to the relative number of NRPS molecules using open-source FPCountR package. During bioprocesses, NRPS availability peaked at the end of the exponential growth phase and declined in the stationary phase, suggesting reduced NRPS productivity under nutrient-limited conditions and potential post-translational regulation. This study provides a quantitative framework for monitoring NRPS dynamics in vivo, offering insights into optimizing surfactin production. The established sensor strains and quantification system enable the real-time monitoring of NRPS availability, aiding bioprocess optimization for industrial applications of surfactin and potentially other non-ribosomal peptides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications)
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18 pages, 5279 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Oil Recovery in a Co-Culture System of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis
by Dingyu Kang, Hai Lin, Qiang Li, Nan Su, Changkun Cheng, Yijing Luo, Zhongzhi Zhang and Zhiyong Zhang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2343; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112343 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 824
Abstract
Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is a promising technology for oil field extraction. This study investigated a co-culture system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis to increase MEOR efficacy. We analyzed bacterial growth, biosurfactant production, and crude oil emulsified performance under different inoculation [...] Read more.
Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is a promising technology for oil field extraction. This study investigated a co-culture system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis to increase MEOR efficacy. We analyzed bacterial growth, biosurfactant production, and crude oil emulsified performance under different inoculation ratios. Compared to single cultures, the co-culture system showed superior growth and functional expression, with an optimal inoculation ratio of 1:1. Quantitative assessments of the cell numbers and biosurfactant production during the co-culture revealed that rapid B. subtilis proliferation in early stages significantly stimulated P. aeruginosa growth. This interaction increased cell density and rhamnolipid production by 208.05% and 216.25%, respectively. The microscopic etching model displacement results demonstrated enhanced emulsification and mobilization of crude oil by the co-culture system, resulting in 94.48% recovery. A successful field application in a block-scale reservoir increased cumulative oil production by 3.25 × 103 t. An analysis of microbial community structure and function in different phases revealed that after co-culture system injection, Pseudomonas became the dominant genus in the reservoir community, with an average abundance of 24.80%. Additionally, the abundance of biosurfactant-producing and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria increased significantly. This research and the application of the P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis co-culture system provide novel insights and strategies for MEOR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications)
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15 pages, 3915 KiB  
Article
The pH and Sucrose Influence Rhamnolipid Action Toward Planktonic and Biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes
by Tathiane Ferroni Passos and Marcia Nitschke
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12102078 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 839
Abstract
Bacterial resistance and persistence in food environments are major concerns for the industry, which constantly seeks new strategies to reduce microbial contamination. Rhamnolipids (RL) biosurfactants are considered sustainable and green alternatives to synthetics; furthermore, they have demonstrated potential for controlling various foodborne pathogens. [...] Read more.
Bacterial resistance and persistence in food environments are major concerns for the industry, which constantly seeks new strategies to reduce microbial contamination. Rhamnolipids (RL) biosurfactants are considered sustainable and green alternatives to synthetics; furthermore, they have demonstrated potential for controlling various foodborne pathogens. Food environments are typically exposed to diverse pH, solutes, temperatures, and water activity (aw) levels that may favor the survival of pathogens. Therefore, it is crucial to consider these factors in evaluating the performance of novel antimicrobials. Our study examined the influence of pH and sucrose on the antimicrobial activity of RL against both planktonic and biofilm of Listeria monocytogenes. We found that the presence of sucrose can enhance the antimicrobial effectiveness of RL against both planktonic and sessile bacteria. The addition of sugar particularly improved RL action at pH 6 and 7. Moreover, we observed that the type and size of RL self-assembly structures depend on the pH and sucrose concentration. These findings suggest potential for developing RL-based innovative methods to control L. monocytogenes in sugar-rich or -low aw foods and environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications)
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17 pages, 4609 KiB  
Article
Recombinant Production of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Rhamnolipids in P. putida KT2440 on Acetobacterium woodii Cultures Grown Chemo-Autotrophically with Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen
by Jonas Widberger, Andreas Wittgens, Sebastian Klaunig, Markus Krämer, Ann-Kathrin Kissmann, Franziska Höfele, Tina Baur, Tanja Weil, Marius Henkel, Rudolf Hausmann, Frank R. Bengelsdorf, Bernhard J. Eikmanns, Peter Dürre and Frank Rosenau
Microorganisms 2024, 12(3), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12030529 - 6 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1578
Abstract
The establishment of sustainable processes for the production of commodity chemicals is one of today’s central challenges for biotechnological industries. The chemo-autotrophic fixation of CO2 and the subsequent production of acetate by acetogenic bacteria via anaerobic gas fermentation represents a promising platform [...] Read more.
The establishment of sustainable processes for the production of commodity chemicals is one of today’s central challenges for biotechnological industries. The chemo-autotrophic fixation of CO2 and the subsequent production of acetate by acetogenic bacteria via anaerobic gas fermentation represents a promising platform for the ecologically sustainable production of high-value biocommodities via sequential fermentation processes. In this study, the applicability of acetate-containing cell-free spent medium of the gas-fermenting acetogenic bacterium A. woodii WP1 as the feeder strain for growth and the recombinant production of P. aeruginosa PAO1 mono-rhamnolipids in the well-established nonpathogenic producer strain P. putida KT2440 were investigated. Additionally, the potential possibility of a simplified production process without the necessary separation of feeder strain cells was elucidated via the cultivation of P. putida in cell-containing A. woodii culture broth. For these cultures, the content of both strains was investigated by examining the relative quantification of strain-exclusive genes via qPCR. The recombinant production of mono-rhamnolipids was successfully achieved with maximum titers of approximately 360–400 mg/L for both cell-free and cell-containing A. woodii spent medium. The reported processes therefore represent a successful proof of principle for gas fermentation-derived acetate as a potential sustainable carbon source for future recombinant rhamnolipid production processes by P. putida KT2440. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Surfactants: Production and Applications)
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