Recent Advances in Biosurfactants

Dear Colleagues,

Biosurfactants comprise a group of diverse and versatile amphipathic molecules with distinct chemical structures and produced by numerous microorganisms. These molecules, which are mainly formed as secondary metabolites, play critical roles in the survival of the producing microorganisms by facilitating nutrient transport, interfering in microbe–host interactions and quorum sensing mechanisms, or by acting as biocide agents. Their recognized potential and biological nature have inspired numerous studies on their possible applications over the last decades. It is claimed that these compounds are superior to their chemical counterparts owing to their microbial origin, biodegradability, and low toxicity. For this reason, these fascinating compounds have been widely studied for applications in the medical, biomedical, food and cosmetics industries as well as in enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation, among others.

Despite their unique features and potential, the applications of biosurfactants significantly depend on whether they can be produced economically, which indeed constitutes the main limitation to their wide adoption by industry. Hence, the current focus on sustainability and circular economy are driving great efforts in bioprocess optimization and at the engineering and biological levels.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences, entitled “Recent Advances in Biosurfactants”, welcomes the submission of original articles or reviews that can highlight and improve knowledge on the potential applications of biosurfactants in several industries, analyzing the main limitations and constraints of the bioprocesses; on the biosurfactants biosynthesis, roles, properties, and activities, also focusing on new producers; on the biosurfactant production, recovery, and characterization, with focus on novel methodologies; and on the biosurfactants market, process economics, and strategies to improve process sustainability and contribute to a circular economy.

Dr. Lígia R. Rodrigues
Dr. Débora Ferreira
Dr. Cátia Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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