Analysis of rhamnolipid biosurfactants produced through submerged fermentation using orange fruit peelings as sole carbon source.

The fermentative production of rhamnolipid biosurfactant from Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2297 was carried out by submerged fermentation using various cost-effective waste materials such as orange peelings, carrot peel waste, lime peelings, coconut oil cake, and banana waste. The orange peel was found to be the best substrate generating 9.18 g/l of rhamnolipid biosurfactant with a surface tension reduction up to 31.3 mN/m. The production was growth independent, and optimum conditions were standardized. The emulsifying activity was highest against kerosene (73.3%). Rhamnolipid components were purified and separated by ethyl acetate extraction, preparative silica gel column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. The major rhamnolipid components were characterized, by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, as a mixture of dirhamnolipids and monorhamnolipids.