Structure Elucidation and Characterization of Novel Glycolipid Biosurfactant Produced by Rouxiella badensis DSM 100043T

Microbial biosurfactants have become increasingly attractive as promising ingredients for environmentally friendly products. The reasons for this are their generally good performance and biodegradability, low toxicity, production from renewable raw materials, and benefits for the environment perceived by consumers. In this study, we investigated the chemical structure and properties of a novel glycolipid from a new biosurfactant-producing strain, <i>Rouxiella badensis</i> DSM 100043^T. Bioreactor cultivation was performed at 30 °C and pH 7.0 for 28 h using 15 g/L glycerol as a carbon source. The glycolipid was successfully purified from the ethyl acetate extract of the supernatant using medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC). The structure of the glycolipid was determined by one- and two-dimensional (¹H and ¹³C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and confirmed by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS). NMR analysis revealed the hydrophilic moiety as a glucose molecule and the hydrophobic moieties as 3-hydroxy-5-dodecenoic acid and 3-hydroxydecanoic acid, which are linked with the glucose by ester bonds at the C2 and C3 positions. Surface tension measurement with tensiometry indicated that the glucose-lipid could reduce the surface tension of water from 72.05 mN/m to 24.59 mN/m at 25 °C with a very low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 5.69 mg/L. Moreover, the glucose-lipid demonstrated very good stability in maintaining emulsification activity at pH 2-8, a temperature of up to 100 °C, and a NaCl concentration of up to 15%. These results show that <i>R. badensis</i> DSM 100043^T produced a novel glycolipid biosurfactant with excellent surface-active properties, making it promising for further research or industrial applications.