Investigating the effects of various additives on surface activity and emulsification index of biosurfactant resulting from broth media of Bacillus subtilis PTCC 1023

Surfactants are amphipathic molecules which reduce surface tension and are widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. In the present study, the production of biosurfactant by Bacillus subtilis PTCC 1023 was studied. B. subtilis was grown in the nutrient broth medium and biosurfactant production was evaluated by measuring the surface tension and emulsification index (E24) each 24 h. The bacterium’s biosurfactant production was investigated in different status with variable factors such as incubation time, temperature, aeration rate and presence of several additives. Then the best fermentation condition was investigated for maximum biosurfactant production and finally biosurfactant identity was investigated using some chemical and spectroscopy methods. The maximum biosurfactant production by B. subtilis PTCC 1023 was obtained when it was grown in brain-heart broth medium containing FeSO4 (4×10-3 M), MnSO4 (1.3×10-3 M), starch (4%) and castor oil (4%) which incubated in a 300 rpm rotary shaker at 30°C for 24 h. Lipopepetide natures in this biosurfactant was confirmed by biochemical and spectroscopic methods