Abstract
Biosurfactants from microorganisms and vegetables have a high potential to forming and stabilizing dispersed systems, providing stability in oil-in-water emulsions. The present study evaluated biosurfactants from Chenopodium quinoa and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as emulsifying agents, to incorporate vegetable oils with conditioning and fragrance properties. For both surfactants, the surface tension tests, emulsification index (E24) and stability to different temperature and pH conditions were performed. The biosurfactant of P. aeruginosa decreased the water surface tension from 72 to 27 mN / m, whereas that of C. quinoa decreased to 31 mN / m. The emulsification index of the vegetable oils was higher when the biosurfactant of P. aeruginosa was used, reaching 71 % for the oil of rosemary. The extract of C. quinoa obtained the best result for coconut oil (51 %). When exposed to different temperatures, the two surfactants showed stability up to 100°C. Regarding the pH, in the range between 4 and 8 the extract of C. quinoa remained stable, on the other hand, for the biosurfactant of P. aeruginosa, the range between 6 and 10 were better for stability. In view of the results, it is concluded that the biosurfactants tested are capable of emulsifying oils widely used by the cosmetic industry in their formulations, presenting a good performance and stability, and therefore, an alternative for incorporation into cosmetic emulsion formulations, compatible with the human being and environment, providing new biotech products with high added value.
