Wine lees as a platform for bio-based surfactant production via enzymatic synthesis

Monoacylglycerols (MAG) are a class of non-ionic surfactants, widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. MAGs can be synthesized from inexpensive natural resources, such as wine lees –the solid residues generated during winemaking– which represent an abundant yet underutilized biomass with strong potential as renewable feedstock for the production of bio-based surfactants. Specifically, this work demonstrated the feasibility of upcycling wine lees into sustainable bio-based surfactant systems. Valuable components were extracted from red and white wine lees using maceration and Soxhlet methods, applying both one-pot and sequential strategies. Two glycerol-rich extracts were selected as substrates for the enzymatic synthesis of 1-palmitoylglycerol (GMP). The interfacial properties of GMP were evaluated alone and in combination with a soy protein hydrolysate, and water-in-oil emulsions were formulated and assessed using stability indices and confocal microscopy. Finally, more complex W/O emulsions, including a rheological modifier, antioxidants, and a buffering agent, were produced.