Biosurfactants from yeasts: characteristics, production and application.

Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds from biological sources, usually extracellular, produced by bacteria, yeast or fungi. Research on biological surfactant production has grown significantly due to the advantages they present over synthetic compounds such as biodegradability, low toxicity, diversity of applications and functionality under extreme conditions. Although the majority of microbial surfactants have been reported in bacteria, the pathogenic nature of some producers restricts the wide application of these compounds.