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2.6 Conclusions and Perspectives
ОглавлениеBS production seems to be the right choice that will change in the future the way the chemical industry works. BS can attend applications in a wide range of sectors as bioremediation, water treatment, food processing, health, sanitizers, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. All these compounds are produced by archaea, bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Isolation, screening, and selection of non‐pathogenic microorganisms are a critical task for the safety production of BS, as well as culture media design, modeling, and optimization of culture conditions and scale up are indispensable to achieve an economic feasible process. Other tools, such as genetic modification, CRISPR‐Cas, and metabolic engineering, are emerging as different strategies to improve the yield and productivity of fermentations. Glycolipids seem to be the species with the highest potential to be developed at larger scales, particularly in the case of BS, which are probably the most promising species because these are produced through non‐pathogenic yeasts with the best observable yields for a BS. SSF comes out as an excellent alternative for BS production because it troubleshoots specific problems of traditional liquid fermentations. However, there is still a long way to go to make this emerging technique the preferred one for producing BS at large scale (e.g. improvements of mass and heat transfer, avoiding the accumulation of metabolic heat and carbon dioxide, inter alia). Fortunately, some trends appear to be beneficial to the SSF process, such as the use of single‐cell microorganisms tolerant to agitated bioreactors. We have given some examples of our own experience producing BS in SSF. The critical variables are (i) sophorolipid production, (ii) substrates consumption, (iii) respiratory kinetic parameters (CO2 production, O2 uptake, respiratory quotient), and (iv) pH. For the simulation of sophorolipid production, it is preferred to use the Gompertz model. Accurate kinetic description is important for estimating the size of the reactors. In our case, it seems that the most convenient regime for BS production is in batch cultures, reducing the risks of contaminations. On the other hand, the analysis of the rate of carbon dioxide formation is a very relevant process monitoring tool, which allows determining the moment in which the maximum production of BS occurs, on‐line, in real‐time, and without disturbing the fermentation. The progress of the disciplines in the interface of chemistry, engineering, and biology shows an extremely attractive opportunity for the research, manufacturing, and application of BS. BS’ potential in the chemical industry is immeasurable because BS cover and exceed the scope of synthetic surfactants, due to more innovative and sustainable chemistry, as well as a strong character of a circular economy.