Rational design, properties, and applications of biosurfactants: a short review of recent advances

Biosurfactants combine physicochemical properties with biological activities. Although biosurfactants are often expressed by microorganisms, an increasing amount is produced by chemical synthesis. As many exist in the form of homologous compounds, it is often difficult to purify biosurfactants. But this has not limited the efforts to develop their commercial applications. In this short review, we have featured the recent advances in three important types of biosurfactants, lipopeptides, nucleolipids, and glycolipids. We have focused on comparing some of the key properties and functionalities between modern synthetic versions and their corresponding natural counterparts. We end the review by outlining the needs for not only strengthening their basic structure–property relationships through further research but also developing better technologies, irrespective of direct chemical synthesis or biological synthesis of biosurfactants through constructions of genetically engineered strains, to help advance the commercial use of biosurfactants.