Comparison of Biodegradability, and Toxicity Effect of Biosurfactants with Synthetic Surfactants

Surfactants can be found and used in most modern industrial sectors, such as the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Synthetically produced surfactants have been shown to have unfavorable effects or low compatibility with products, especially in cosmetic or pharmaceutical products, where the association between the use of some surfactants and the advancement of dermatitis, and eye irritation, among others, have been reported. Biosurfactants (BS) have been widely accepted around the world as a sustainable alternative to synthetic surfactants, as they exhibit the same functionalities in addition to having the potential to synergize with other molecules, further improving the performance of these molecules. Unlike synthetic surfactants, biosurfactants have advantages such as biodegradability and low toxicity. In recent years, BS has been analyzed for cytotoxic effect using various cell lines such as mouse fibroblasts, human embryonic kidney cells, and human epithelial cell lines. The high biodegradability and stability of biosurfactants produced by microorganisms at different temperatures and the low sensitivity to changes in environmental pH are obvious advantages. Therefore, they generally do not pose an ecological threat. The low toxicity and high biodegradability of biosurfactants compared to synthetic surfactants have been reported in recent years and will be exposed in this chapter.