Industry News Tracker | SOFW – Verlag für chemische Industrie | January 6, 2026
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Executive Brief

Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB has developed high‑purity microbial glycolipid biosurfactants as a new generation of surfactants for detergents, household cleaners and personal care formulations. Produced by fermentation from regional renewable raw and residual materials, these biosurfactants are fully biodegradable, offer classic surface‑active performance, and can additionally provide antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral benefits. With product concentrations up to 20 g/L for cellobiose lipids (CL) and 50 g/L for mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL), plus tunable properties via chemical or enzymatic modification, Fraunhofer IGB is positioning these palm‑free, fossil‑free ingredients as scalable, application‑ready alternatives to conventional petrochemical and tropical‑oil‑based surfactants.

Keywords: Biosurfactants, Glycolipids, Fermentation, Renewable Raw Materials, Personal Care, Household Cleaning, Biodegradable Surfactants.

Technical Intelligence

1. Core Technology / Process

• Microbial production: Biosurfactants are produced as secondary metabolites by microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi, yeasts) using fermentation processes.
• Substrate base: Processes use renewable substrates such as sugars, regional plant oils and biogenic residues instead of petrochemical feedstocks or imported tropical oils.
• Process optimisation: Fraunhofer IGB has developed and combined multiple downstream separation and purification methods to achieve >95% purity for glycolipid biosurfactants.
• Tunable structures: Glycolipids can be chemically or enzymatically modified to adjust water solubility, emulsifying power and formulation compatibility for different applications.

2. Key Ingredients / Specifications

• Product types: Focus on glycolipid biosurfactants, particularly cellobiose lipids (CL) and mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL).
• Feedstocks:
  • Sugars from straw and wood residues.
  • Domestic rapeseed oil.
  • Insect fat from insect biorefineries, where larvae convert organic waste into fats and proteins.
• Purity levels: Biosurfactants are produced in highly pure form (>95% purity).
• Productivity
  • 20 g/L for CL.
  • Up to 50 g/L for MEL.

3. Performance Data

• Surfactant functionality: Biosurfactants reduce surface tension and act as detergents, emulsifiers, dispersants and foaming agents in cleaners and personal care formulations.
• Bioactivity: Certain microbial glycolipids exhibit antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, enabling dual roles as surfactants and functional actives.
• Mildness & biodegradability: Biosurfactants are described as very mild, readily biodegradable and based entirely on biogenic carbon, contributing to lower ecotoxicological impact compared to many conventional surfactants.

4. Market / Sustainability

• Application fields:
  • Dishwashing detergents and household cleaners.
  • Shower gels and other rinse‑off personal care products.
  • Cosmetic and personal care formulations requiring antimicrobial or microbiome‑friendly properties.
• Sustainability profile:
  • Fossil‑free and palm‑free production routes, reducing dependence on petrochemicals and controversial tropical oils.
  • Use of regional residues and side streams (straw, wood residues, insect fat) supports circular bioeconomy concepts.
  • High biodegradability and lower product carbon footprint versus classical petrochemical or conventional bio‑based surfactants.
• Industry access: Fraunhofer IGB now offers samples and formulation support, inviting industrial partners to test biosurfactants in cleaning, personal care and specialised technical applications.

 

Entity & Keyword Index

Category	Items
Chemicals	Glycolipid biosurfactants, Cellobiose lipids (CL), Mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL)
Feedstocks	Straw sugars, Wood residue sugars, Rapeseed oil, Insect fat, Plant oils
Organisations	Fraunhofer IGB, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Applications	Dishwashing detergents, Household cleaners, Shower gels, Personal care and cosmetic products
Concepts	Fermentation, Biobased surfactants, Circular bioeconomy, Renewable raw materials, Biodegradability

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