Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (6): 878-889.DOI: 10.19894/j.issn.1000-0518.240021

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Structural Identification and Physicochemical Properties of Nonacetylated Sophorolipids Biosurfactant

Hao YANG1,2, Xiao-Meng MA1,2, Jin-Hua HUANG1,2, Jun-Feng LI3, Sheng-Kang LIANG1,2()   

  1. 1.College of Chemistry and Chemistry Engineering,Ocean University of China,Qingdao 266100,China
    2.The Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology,Ministry of Education,Ocean University of China,Qingdao 266100,China
    3.College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering,Qingdao University of Science and Technology,Qingdao 266045,China
  • Received:2024-01-22 Accepted:2024-05-04 Published:2024-06-01 Online:2024-07-09
  • Contact: Sheng-Kang LIANG
  • About author:liangsk@ouc.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the Shandong Province Major Science and Technology Innovation Engineering Project(2021CXGC010705);the Laoshan Laboratory's 14th Five Year Plan Major Project(2022QNLM040002)

Abstract:

Sophorolipids (SLs) are a kind of biosurfactants with the highest potential for industrial application, and the degree of acetylation in their sugar chains has an important influence on their surface interface activity,and physicochemical properties. By homologous recombination, the research group constructed the acetyltransferase gene-deficient strain, and nonacetylated SLs was prepared by fermentation with oleic acid and glucose as biphasic carbon sources. In this paper, the structure of nonacetylated SLs was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), and the physicochemical properties of acetylated SLs produced by wild strains were compared. The results showed that the hydrophobic groups of nonacetylated SLs produced by nonacetylated strains were mainly octadecenoic acid, and the hydrophilic groups were mainly nonacetylated sophoricoside, in which the contents of lipoid, acidic and bola-type SLs were 26.99%, 49.98% and 23.03% respectively. The sophorolipids produced by wild strains are mainly acetylated sophorolipids, and the mass fractions of lactone and acid types are 97.86% and 2.14% respectively. Its hydrophobic group is mainly octadecenoic acid. The solubility of nonacetylated SLs in water is as high as 485.8 g/L, which is 14 times higher than acetylated SLs, and it has better foaming performance and foam stability. At the same time, the emulsifying performance of nonacetylated SLs is 26.7 times higher than acetylated SLs. Due to the increase of hydrophilicity of the missing acetyl group, the surface activity of deacetylation SLs decreased, and the surface tension of aqueous solution was reduced to 41.0 mN/m, which was higher than that of acetylated sophorolipid (36.2 mN/m). The hydrophilic and lipophilic balance value is 13, which is higher than that of acetylation SLs (11). Two kinds of sophorolipid have good hard water resistance, but weak acid and alkali resistance.

Key words: Candida, Sophorolipid, Deacetylation, Critical micelle concentration, Emulsibility

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