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Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules with two contrary components, one component being hydrophobic and other hydrophilic in nature [1, 2]. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic components depend on the polar charge, which may be anionic, cationic, neutral, or amphoteric. Biosurfactants are emerging as a promising alternative for synthetic surfactants in the industrial sector, as companies develop environmentally safe biosurfactants using various renewable and organic materials. Usually, the surfactants derived from organic substances comprise both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components. Natural surfactants are a group of secondary metabolites that are widely present in many plants, microorganisms and several sea animals [3]. Surfactants are surface‐active chemicals used in detergents and soaps for reducing surface tension. Biosurfactants can be produced from various low‐cost industrial waste materials (Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1 Schematic representation of the adhesion of bio surfactant molecules to the containment in which bacterial cell is associated (Guerra‐Santos et al., 1984).

They have many benefits over chemical‐derived surfactants, including minimal toxicity, biologically available, biologically degradable, high foaming, and environmentally safe [4, 5]. Therefore, they are safer substitutes for synthetic surfactants, notably in food, medicine, cosmetics, and edible oils [6, 7]. Biosurfactants have an extensive range of applications in different domains such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, milk, energy, irrigation, forestry, textiles, painting, and several other sectors. These molecules are commonly known as multifunctional compounds, like stabilizers, wetting agents, antimicrobials, moisturizers, emulsifiers, and antiadhesives [8–11].