Isolation and characterization of two glycolipopeptids biosurfactants produced by a Lactobacillus plantarum strain isolated from green olive curing water

Abstract Microbial surfactants are natural amphiphilic compounds with high surface activities and emulsifying properties. Due to their structural diversity, low toxicity, biodegradability, and chemical stability in different conditions, these molecules are potential substitutes for chemical surfactants; their interest has grown significantly over the last decade. The current study focuses on the isolation, identification, and characterization of a lactic acid bacteria that produces two forms of biosurfactants. The OL5 strain was isolated from green olive fermentation and identified using MALDI/TOF and ADNr16S amplification. Emulsification activity and surface tension measurements were used to estimate biosurfactant production. The two biosurfactants derived from L. plantarum OL5 presented good emulsification powers in the presence of various oils. They were also shown to have the potential to reduce water surface tension from 69 mN/m to 34 mN/m and 37 mN/m within a critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 7 mg/ml and 1.8 mg/ml, respectively, for cell bound and extracellular biosurfactants. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and FT-IR were used to analyze the composition of the two biosurfactants produced. the obtained data revealed that the two biomolecules consist of a mixture of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. We demonstrated that they are two anionic biosurfactants with glycolipopeptide nature which are stable in extreme conditions of temperature, pH and salinity.