Biosurfactant-Producing Mucor Strains: Selection, Screening, and Chemical Characterization

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic molecules with surface tension reducing activities. Among biosurfactant producers, fungi have been identified as promising organisms. While many studies investigated production in fungal species from the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla, less is known concerning Mucoromycota phylum. In this context, aim of study was to screen optimize 24 strains, including seven Mucor, three Lichtheimia, one Absidia species. After cultivation a medium stimulating surfactant production, activity cell-free supernatants measured using both oil spreading parafilm M tests. them, five Mucor strain belonging M. circinelloides, lanceolatus, mucedo, racemosus, plumbeus, showed repulsion. Then, impact composition on evaluated for eight strains. Three i.e., circinelloides UBOCC-A-109190, plumbeus UBOCC-A-111133, mucedo UBOCC-A-101353 an interesting potential, 36, 31, 32 mN/m, respectively. A preliminary characterization produced by these strains performed that compounds belonged glycolipid family.