Already in the ‘40s and ‘60s of the past century several microorganisms were discovered to be producers of biological detergents. In the past decades, interest in these ‘biosurfactants’ was reinforced due to the growing environmental awareness and the quest for greener alternatives to the traditional petrochemical derived surfactants. Indeed, biosurfactants display low toxicity, good biodegradability and are made from renewable resources under mild conditions.

One of the most promising biosurfactants are the sophorolipids produced by the yeast Starmerella bombicola. These compounds are currently commercialized by several companies and find multiple applications. By unraveling the genome and the sophorolipid synthesis pathway, we could transform the yeast into a platform for the production of new biological detergents with altered applications. In this way, biosurfactants can form a broader and customized alternative to traditional products.