▶ Biosurfactants (BS)

　Biosurfactants (BS) are a type of surfactant produced by various bacteria and funji, and have an advantage because of their excellent interfacial activity, biodegradanot only environmenraly frendly surfactants but also bio-based functional materials because of the excellent self-assembling propertiebility, biocompatibility, and environmantally friendly production process. The typical glycolipid BSs, Sophorolipids (SL) and Rhamnolipis (RL), have been already commercialized and mainly applied to detergent products. We have been studying a glycolipid BS, Mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL) for over 20 years. MELs have excellent interfacial activity, self-assembling properties, and have various functions as gene delivery carriers, a high affinity to immunoglobulins, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidative activities, repairing damaged human skin and hair. MEL has reached commertial production in collaboration with AIST and Toyobo co. ltd., and is curently used as a cosmetic ingredient.

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