Sophorolipid (SL) is a glycolipid produced by yeast Candida bombicola. Research activities abound to develop applications of SL in commercial products because of its fine surfactant and antimicrobial properties. To help achieve lower overall production cost, we studied the use of surplus industrial coproducts as feedstocks in the fermentation process. We showed that glycerol and soy molasses, both coproducts generated respectively from biodiesel production and soy-protein isolation, could support production of SL at a volumetric yield of 60-75 g/L-culture under lab-scale fermentation conditions. To add value to SL, we concentrated on its 17-hydroxyoleate moiety as a starting material to generate �building-block� chemicals that are potentially useful for manufacture of new polymers and lubricants.

Sophorolipid biosurfactant synthesis and value-added derivatization

244th National Meeting (2012)

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