<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Biosurfactants are a group of surface-active agents mainly produced by microorganisms and have a wide range of applications in industries as well as agriculture. Global usage of such biologically active compounds as detergents, bioremediation agents, cosmetic products is hugely dependent on their high production. New avenues of research have opened up due to this increased interest, most of which are focused on identifying specialized microorganisms capable of biosurfactant production. Screening methods for selection of biosurfactant producing bacteria are, therefore, of utmost importance in this endeavor. The aim of this review was to discuss various conventional and novel methods that can overcome the hurdles encountered in time effective, economical microbial biosurfactant screening. This review lists several important biosurfactant screening methods based on supernatant, biomass as well as culture media. New methods devised for biosurfactant screening in the last half decade such as surfactant dependent dye solubilization, metagenomic studies etc. are also explained in detail. A thorough grasp of both contemporary and anachronistic screening methodologies will not only lead to discoveries of novel native strains capable of biosurfactant production but also form the basis on which new screening methods can be devised.</p>
</abstract>

Biosurfactants are a group of surface-active agents mainly produced by microorganisms and have a wide range of applications in industries as well as agriculture. Global usage of such biologically active compounds as detergents, bioremediation agents, cosmetic products is hugely dependent on their high production. New avenues of research have opened up due to this increased interest, most of which are focused on identifying specialized microorganisms capable of biosurfactant production. Screening methods for selection of biosurfactant producing bacteria are, therefore, of utmost importance in this endeavor. The aim of this review was to discuss various conventional and novel methods that can overcome the hurdles encountered in time effective, economical microbial biosurfactant screening. This review lists several important biosurfactant screening methods based on supernatant, biomass as well as culture media. New methods devised for biosurfactant screening in the last half decade such as surfactant dependent dye solubilization, metagenomic studies etc. are also explained in detail. A thorough grasp of both contemporary and anachronistic screening methodologies will not only lead to discoveries of novel native strains capable of biosurfactant production but also form the basis on which new screening methods can be devised.

Microbial Biosurfactant Screening: Diversity in Assessment Methods

Institute of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Advancements of Microbiology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Microbial Biosurfactant Screening: Diversity in Assessment Methods"}

Biosurfactants are a group of surface-active agents mainly produced by microorganisms and have a wide range of applications in industries as well as...

Screening methods	Advantages	Disadvantages	References
Emulsification Index	Simple to use Gives indication of biosurfactant presence	Low stability of emulsion Surface activity and emulsification capacity do not always correlate	(5, 7)
Surface tension test	Precise Simple Reliable	Concurrent measurements present difficulties Variation prone	(15)
Oil displacement/Oil spreading test	High precision Small sample volume Low quantity of biosurfactant detected No need for specialized equipment Rapid	Amount of oil used influences detection	(22)
Drop collapse assay	Simple Rapid No need for specialized equipment Small sample volume	Low sensitivity	(9, 17)
Penetration assay	Used for screening large number of samples	Qualitative	(29)
Optical distortion grid assay	Easy Rapid Sensitive Small sample volume Suitable for automated high throughput screening	Rough Only qualitative	(29)
BATH assay	Simple Inexpensive	Indirect Only qualitative	(14)
Tilted glass slide test	Simple Easy	Preliminary If negligible amount of surfactant is present, false results are given	(27)
Hydrocarbon overlay agar test	Direct Efficient	Cannot be used if microbe does not degrade hydrocarbons	(30)
Atomized oil assay	Surface enhanced biosurfactant production is shown	Many strains only produce biosurfactant in liquid media	(11)
Blood hemolysis test	Preliminary screening method Also predicts surface activity of producer	Dubious results (lytic enzymes can also cause hemolysis) Hydrophobic substrates cannot be used as sole carbon source Diffusion restriction can inhibit zone formation	(22)
Blue agar plate test	Semi-quantitative Allows various culture conditions	Specific for anionic biosurfactants Inhibits growth of some microbes	(7, 11)

Microbial Biosurfactant Screening: Diversity in Assessment Methods

Data publikacji: 09 lis 2023

Zakres stron: 145 - 155

Otrzymano: 01 wrz 2022

Przyjęty: 01 sty 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/am-2023-0013

Słowa kluczowe
biosurfactant, screening, supernatant, biomass, PCR

© 2023 Rafeya Sohail et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Biosurfactant screening methods: advantages and disadvantages

Microbial Biosurfactant Screening: Diversity in Assessment Methods

Data publikacji: 09 lis 2023

Zakres stron: 145 - 155

Otrzymano: 01 wrz 2022

Przyjęty: 01 sty 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/am-2023-0013

Słowa kluczowebiosurfactant, screening, supernatant, biomass, PCR

© 2023 Rafeya Sohail et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Biosurfactant screening methods: advantages and disadvantages

Słowa kluczowe
biosurfactant, screening, supernatant, biomass, PCR