Investigating the interactions between an industrial lipase and anionic (bio)surfactants

Marcos López Hernández, Daniel E Otzen*, Jan Skov Pedersen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

In laundry formulations, synergies between amphiphiles and other additives such as enzymes increase sustainability through a large decrease in energy consumption. However, traditional surfactants are derived from petroleum, requiring chemical modifications (sulfonation, ethoxylation, or esterification) and generating environmental pollution through toxicity and low degradability. Use of biosurfactants removes these issues. To provide a firmer basis for the use of biosurfactants, we report on the interactions between the industrial lipase LIPEX® and three common biosurfactants, rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, and surfactin. The model surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is included in the study for comparison. A thorough characterization by Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides valuable information on the enzyme's oligomerization and the surfactant micelles' ellipsoidal morphology. Additionally, the enzymatic activity and complex formation in different surfactant mixtures are studied using isothermal titration calorimetry, activity assays, and SAXS. SDS activates the enzyme while promoting a controlled association of monomers while the biosurfactants inhibit the enzyme, independent of their effects on its quaternary structure. Rhamnolipids and surfactin promote lipase dimerization while sophorolipids have no significant effect on lipase quaternary structure. Based on these data, we propose a partial replacement that allows the enzyme to retain enzymatic activity while improving the environmental footprint of the formulation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Colloid and Interface Science
Volume679
IssueB
Pages (from-to)294-306
Number of pages13
ISSN0021-9797
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025

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