Abstract
Biosurfactants have great advantages as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic surfactants. Surface active properties and antioxidant activity of extracts prepared from Sapindus mukorossi, Verbascum densiflorum, Equisetum arvense, Betula pendula and Bellis perennis have been studied. The extract from Sapindus mukorossi served as a standard because it belongs to the most widely used natural surfactants. The surface active properties of these nonionic surfactants were also compared with the properties of common synthetic surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and Tween® 80. In many cases, the plant-derived surfactants showed better properties than the synthetic ones, e.g. minimum critical micelle concentration values were observed for E. arvense (0.033 g L−1), B. perennis (0.076 g L−1), or minimum surface tension reached for the extract of B. perennis (36.8 mN m−1).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abouseoud, M., Maachi, R., & Amrane, A. (2007). Biosurfactant production from olive oil by Pseudomonas fluorescens. In A. Méndez-Vilas (Ed.), Communicating current research and educational topics and trends in applied microbiology (pp. 340–347). Madrid, Spain: Formatex.
Adamson, A. W., & Gast, A. P. (1997). Physical chemistry of surfaces (6th ed.). New York, NY, USA: Wiley.
Alamanou, S., & Doxastakis, G. (1997). Effect of wet extraction methods on emulsifying and foaming properties of lupin seed protein isolates (Lupinus albus ssp. Graecus). Food Hydrocolloids, 11, 409–413. DOI: 10.1016/s0268-005x(97)80038-0.
Balakrishnan, S., Varughese, S., & Deshpande, A. P. (2006). Micellar characterisation of saponin from Sapindus mukorossi. Tenside, Surfactants, Detergents, 43, 262–268. DOI: 10.3139/113.100315.
Carey, E., & Stubenrauch, C. (2010). Foaming properties of mixtures of a non-ionic (C12DMPO) and anionic surfactant (C12TAB). Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 346, 414–423. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2010.03.013.
Ceylan, O., Ugur, A., & Sarac, N. (2014). In vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant, antibiofilm and quorum sensing inhibitory activities of Bellis perennis L. Journal of BioScience and Biotechnology, 2014, 35–42.
Chen, W. J., Hsiao, L. C., & Chen, K. K. Y. (2008). Metal desorption from copper(II)/nickel(II)-spiked kaolin as a soil component using plant-derived saponic biosurfactant. Process Biochemistry, 43, 488–498. DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2007.11.017.
Chen, Y. F., Yang, C. H., Chang, M. S., Ciou, Y. P., & Huang, Y. C. (2010a). Foam properties and detergent abilities of the saponins from Camellia oleifera. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 11, 4417–4425. DOI: 10.3390/ijms11114417.
Chen, C. Y., Kuo, P. L., Chen, Y. H., Huang, J. C., Ho, M. L., Lin, R. J., Chang, J. S., & Wang, H. M. (2010b). Tyrosinase inhibition, free radical scavenging, antimicroorganism and anticancer proliferation activities of Sapindus mukorossi extracts. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 41, 129–135. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2009.08.005.
Chhetri, A. B., Watts, K. C., Rahman, M. S., & Islam, M. R. (2009). Soapnut extract as a natural surfactant for enhanced oil recovery. Energy Sources Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 31, 1893–1903. DOI: 10.1080/15567030802462622.
Clarkson, J. R., Cui, Z. F., & Darton, R. C. (2000). Effect of solution conditions on protein damage in foam. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 4, 107–114. DOI: 10.1016/s1369-703x(99)00038-8.
Dluzewski, M., Dluzewska, E., & Kwasek, L. (1994). Comparison of foaming properties by the volumetric and conductometric methods. Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 3, 155–164.
Eastoe, J., & Dalton, J. S. (2000). Dynamic surface tension and adsorption mechanisms surfactants at the air-water interface. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 85, 103–144. DOI: 10.1016/s0001-8686(99)00017-2.
Fendler, J. H., & Fendler, E. (1975). Catalysis in micellar and macromolecular systems. New York, NY, USA: Academic Press.
Fu, Y., Lei, P., Han, Y. M., & Yan, D. (2010). Investigation on the process of sapindus saponin purified with macroporous adsorption resin and screening of its bacteriostasis. Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials, 33, 267–272.
Germanò, M. P., Cacciola, F., Donato, P., Dugo, P., Certo, G., D’Angelo, V., Mondello, L., & Rapisarda, A. (2012). Betula pendula leaves: Polyphenolic characterization and potential innovative use in skin whitening products. Fitoterapia, 83, 877–882. DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2012.03.021.
Ghasemzadeh, A., Jaafar, H. Z. E., & Rahmat, A. (2010a). Synthesis of phenolics and flavonoids in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and their effects on photosynthesis rate. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 11, 4539–4555. DOI: 10.3390/ijms11114539.
Ghasemzadeh, A., Jaafar, H. Z. E., Rahmat, A., Wahab, P. E., & Halim, M. R. (2010b). Effect of different light intensities on total phenolics and flavonoid synthesis and anti-oxidant activities in young ginger varieties (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 11, 3885–3897. DOI: 10.3390/ijms11103885.
Ghasemzadeh, A., & Jaafar, H. Z. E. (2011). Effect of CO2 enrichment on synthesis of some primary and secondary metabolites in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 12, 1101–1114. DOI: 10.3390/ijms12021101.
Gülçin, I., Mshvildadze, V., Gepdiremen, A., & Elias, R. (2004). Antioxidant activity of saponins isolated from ivy: α-hederin, hederasaponin-C, hederacolchiside-E and hederacolchiside-F. Planta Medica, 70, 561–563. DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-827158.
Handali, S., Moghimipour, E., Kooshapour, H., Rezaee, S., & Khalili, S. (2014). In vitro cholesterol binding afinity of total sponin extracted from Glycyrrhiza glabra. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 7, 170–173.
Harborne, J. B., & Williams, C. A. (2001). Anthocyanins and other flavonoids. Natural Product Reports, 18, 310–333. DOI: 10.1039/b006257j.
Holmberg, K. (2001). Natural surfactants. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 6, 148–159. DOI: 10.1016/s1359-0294(01)00074-7.
Hong, K. J., Tokunaga, S., & Kajiuchi, T. (2002). Evaluation of remediation process with plant-derived biosurfactant for recovery of heavy metals from contaminated soils. Chemosphere, 49, 379–387. DOI: 10.1016/s0045-6535(02)00321-1.
Ibrahim, M. H., & Jaafar, H. Z. E. (2013). Abscisic acid induced changes in production of primary and secondary metabolites, photosynthetic capacity, antioxidant capability, antioxidant enzymes and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. Molecules, 18, 7957–7976. DOI: 10.3390/molecules18077957.
Jeong, G. T., Park, E. S., Wahlig, V. L., Burapatana, V., Park, D. H., & Tanner, R. D. (2004). Effect of pH on the foam fractionation of Mimosa pudica L. seed proteins. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 43, 422–427. DOI: 10.1021/ie060318l.
Jian, H. L., Liao, X. X., Zhu, L. W., Zhang, W. M., & Jiang, J. X. (2011). Synergism and foaming properties in binary mixtures of a biosurfactant derived from Camellia oleifera Abel and synthetic surfactants. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 359, 487–492. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.04.038.
Khan, A. M., & Shah, S. S. (2008). Determination of critical micelle concentration (Cmc) of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the effect of low concentration of pyrene on its Cmc using ORIGIN software. Journal of the Chemical Society of Pakistan, 30, 186–191.
Kosaric, N. (2001). Biosurfactants and their application for soil bioremediation. Food Technology and Biotechnology, 39, 295–304.
Li, Y., Du, Y. M., & Zou, C. (2009). Effects of pH on antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of tea saponins. European Food Research & Technology, 228, 1023–1028. DOI: 10.1007/s00217-009-1014-3.
Li, M. Z., Qiao, N., & Wang, K. (2013a). Influence of sodium lauryl sulfate and Tween 80 on carbamazepine-nicotinamide cocrystal solubility and dissolution behaviour. Pharmaceutics, 5, 508–524. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics5040508.
Li, R., Wu, Z. L., Wang, Y. J., & Li, L. L. (2013b). Separation of total saponins from the pericarp of Sapindus mukorossi Gaerten. by foam fractionation. Industrial Crops and Products, 51, 163–170. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.08.079.
Lunkenheimer, K., & Wantke, K. D. (1978). On the applicability of the du Nouy (ring) tensiometer method for the determination of surface tensions of surfactant solutions. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 66, 579–581. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9797(78)90079-6.
Lunkenheimer, K., & Malysa, K. (2003). Simple and generally applicable method of determination and evaluation of foam properties. Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, 6, 69–74. DOI: 10.1007/s11743-003-0251-8.
Ma, Y. B., He, Y. X., Peng, L. X., Wu, J. W., & Mi, Z. J. (2011). Study on isolation and purification of saponin from Sapindaceae with macroporous resin. Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medicinal Formulae, 17, 23–25.
Mahmood, M. E., & Al-Koofee, D. A. F. (2013). Effect of temperature changes on critical micelle concentration for Tween series surfactant. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Chemistry, 13, 1–4.
Mainkar, A. R., & Jolly, C. I. (2000). Evaluation of commercial herbal shampoos. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 22, 385–391. DOI: 10.1046/j.1467-2494.2000.00047.x.
Máriássyová, M. (2006). Antioxidant activity of some herbal extracts in rapeseed and sunflower oils. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 45, 104–109.
McClements, D. J. (2007). Critical review of techniques and methodologies for characterization of emulsion stability. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 47, 611–649. DOI: 10.1080/10408390701289292.
Mensor, L. L., Menezes, F. S., Leitão, G. G., Reis, A. S., dos Santos, T. C., Coube, C. S., & Leitão, S. G. (2001). Screening of Brazilian plant extracts for antioxidant activity by the use of DPPH free radical method. Phytotherapy Research, 15, 127–130. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.687.
Mimica-Dukic, N., Simin, N., Cvejic, J., Jovin, E., Orcic, D., & Bozin, B. (2008). Phenolic compounds in field horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) as natural antioxidants. Molecules, 13, 1455–1464. DOI: 10.3390/molecules13071455.
Mitra, S., & Dungan, S. R. (1997). Micellar properties of quillaja saponin. 1. Effects of temperature, salt, and pH on solution properties. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 45, 1587–1595. DOI: 10.1021/jf960349z.
Mousli, R., & Tazerouti, A. (2007). Direct method of preparation of dodecanesulfonamide derivatives and some surface properties. Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, 10, 279–285. DOI: 10.1007/s11743-007-1043-5.
Mulligan, C. N. (2005). Environmental applications for biosurfactants. Environmental Pollution, 133, 183–198. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.06.009.
Mulligan, C. N. (2009). Recent advances in the environmental applications of biosurfactants. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 14, 372–378. DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2009.06.005.
Muntaha, S. T., & Khan, M. N. (2015). Natural surfactant extracted from Sapindus mukurossi as an eco-friendly alternate to synthetic surfactant — a dye surfactant interaction study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 93, 145–150. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.01.023.
Murakami, M., Yamaguchi, T., Takamura, H., & Matoba, T. (2003). Effects of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol on antioxidant activity of polyphenolic compounds. Journal of Food Science, 68, 1622–1625. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2003.tb12302.x.
Nakayama, K., Fujino, H., Kasai, R., Mitoma, Y., Yata, N., & Tanaka, O. (1986). Solubilizing properties of saponins from Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 34, 3279–3283. DOI: 10.1248/cpb.34.3279.
Ozturk, B., Argin, S., Ozilgen, M., & McClements, D. J. (2014). Formation and stabilization of nanoemulsion-based vitamin E delivery systems using natural surfactants: Quillaja saponin and lecithin. Journal of Food Engineering, 142, 57–63. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2014.06.015.
Rahman, P. K. S. M., & Gakpe, E. (2008). Production, characterisation and applications of biosurfactants — Review. Biotechnology, 7, 360–370. DOI: 10.3923/biotech.2008.360.370.
Ribeiro, B. D., Alviano, D. S., Barreto, D. W., & Coelho, M. A. Z. (2013). Functional properties of saponins from sisal (Agave sisalana) and juá (Ziziphus joazeiro): Critical micellar concentration, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 436, 736–743. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2013.08.007.
Rosen, J. M. (2004). Surfactants and interfacial phenomena (3rd ed.). New York, NY, USA: Wiley.
Ross, J., & Miles, G. D. (1941). An apparatus for comparison of foaming properties of soaps and detergents. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 18, 99–102. DOI: 10.1007/bf02545418.
Roy, D., Kommalapati, R. R., Mandava, S. S., Valsaraj, K. T., & Constant, W. D. (1997). Soil washing potential of a natural surfactant. Environmental Science & Technology, 31, 670–675. DOI: 10.1021/es960181y.
Salati, S., Papa, G., & Adani, F. (2011). Perspective on the use of humic acids from biomass as natural surfactants for industrial applications. Biotechnology Advances, 29, 913–922. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.07.012.
Siatka, T., & Kašparová, M. (2010). Seasonal variation in total phenolic and flavonoid contents and DPPH scavenging activity of Bellis perennis L. flowers. Molecules, 15, 9450–9461. DOI: 10.3390/molecules15129450.
Silva, C. G., Herdeiro, R. S., Mathias, C. J., Panek, A. D., Silveira, C. S., Rodrigues, V. P., Rennó, M. N., Falcão, D. Q., Cerqueira, D. M., Minto, A. B. M., Nogueira, F. L. P., Quaresma, C. H., Silva, J. F. M., Menezes, F. S., & Eleutherio, E. C. A. (2005). Evaluation of antioxidant activity of Brazilian plants. Pharmacological Research, 52, 229–233. DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2005.03.008.
Song, S. S., Zhu, L. Z., & Zhou, W. J. (2008). Simultaneous removal of phenanthrene and cadmium from contaminated soils by saponin, a plant-derived biosurfactants. Environmental Pollution, 156, 1368–1370. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.06.018.
Sparg, S. G., Light, M. E., & van Staden, J. (2004). Biological activities and distribution of plant saponins. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 94, 219–243. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2004.05.016.
Trouillas, P., Calliste, C. A., Allais, D. P., Simon, A., Marfak, A., Delage, C., & Duroux, J. L. (2003). Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties of sixteen water plant extracts used in the Limousin countryside as herbal teas. Food Chemistry, 80, 399–407. DOI: 10.1016/s0308-8146(02)00282-0.
Urum, K., & Pekdemir, T. (2004). Evaluation of biosurfactants for crude oil contaminated soil washing. Chemosphere, 57, 1139–1150. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.07.048.
Vincken, J. P., Heng, L., de Groot, A., & Gruppen, H. (2007). Saponins, classification and occurrence in the plant kingdom. Phytochemistry, 68, 275–297. DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.10.008.
von Rybinski, W. (2001). Natural surfactants. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 6, 146–147. DOI: 10.1016/s1359-0294(01)00081-4.
Wu, H., Zhang, L., Wang, N., Guo, Y. Z., Weng, Z., Sun, Z. Y., Xu, D. P., Xie, Y. F., & Yao, W. R. (2014). Analysis of the bioactive components of Sapindus saponins. Industrial Crops and Products, 61, 422–429. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.07.026.
Yang, C. H., Huang, Y. C., Chen, Y. F., & Chang, M. H. (2010). Foam properties, detergent abilities and long-term preservative efficacy of the saponins from Sapindus mukorossi. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 18, 155–160.
Yang, Y., Leser, M. E., Sher, A. A., & McClements, D. J. (2013). Formation and stability of emulsions using a natural small molecule surfactant: quillaja saponin (Q-Naturale®). Food Hydrocolloids, 30, 589–596. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2012.08.008.
Yin, S. W., Chen, J. C., Sun, S. D., Tang, C. H., Yang, X. Q., Wen, Q. B., & Qi, J. R. (2011). Physicochemical and structural characterisation of protein isolate, globulin and albumin from soapnut seeds (Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.). Food Chemistry, 128, 420–426. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.03.046.
Zdziennicka, A., Szymczyk, K., Krawczyk, J., & Jańczuk, B. (2012). Critical micelle concentration of some surfactants and thermodynamic parameters of their micellization. Fluid Phase Equilibria 322–323, 126–134. DOI: 10.1016/j.fluid.2012.03.018.
Zhou, W. J., Yang, J. J., Lou, L. J., & Zhu, L. Z. (2011). Solubilization properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by saponin, a plant-derived biosurfactant. Environmental Pollution, 159, 1198–1204. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.02.001.
Zhou, W. J., Wang, X. H., Chen, C. P., & Zhu, L. Z. (2013). Enhanced soil washing of phenanthrene by a plant-derived natural biosurfactant, Sapindus saponin. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 425, 122–128. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2013.02.055.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tmáková, L., Sekretár, S. & Schmidt, Š. Plant-derived surfactants as an alternative to synthetic surfactants: surface and antioxidant activities. Chem. Pap. 70, 188–196 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1515/chempap-2015-0200
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/chempap-2015-0200