Production and structural characterization of eco-friendly bioemulsifier SC04 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain MYN04 with potential applications

BACKGROUND: Bioemulsifiers are natural or microbial-based products with the ability to emulsify hydrophobic compounds in water. These compounds are biodegradable, eco-friendly, and find applications in various industries. RESULTS: Thirteen yeasts were isolated from different sources in Alexandria, Egypt, and evaluated for their potential to produce intracellular bioemulsifiers. One yeast, isolated from a local market in Egypt, showed the highest emulsification index (EI(24)) value. Through 26S rRNA sequencing, this yeast was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain MYN04. The growth kinetics of the isolate were studied, and after 36 h of incubation, the highest yield of cell dry weight (CDW) was obtained at 3.17 g/L, with an EI(24) of 55.6%. Experimental designs were used to investigate the effects of culture parameters on maximizing bioemulsifier SC04 production and CDW. The study achieved a maximum EI(24) of 79.0 ± 2.0%. Furthermore, the crude bioemulsifier was precipitated with 50% ethanol and purified using Sephadex G-75 gel filtration chromatography. Bioemulsifier SC04 was found to consist of 27.1% carbohydrates and 72.9% proteins. Structural determination of purified bioemulsifier SC04 was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). FTIR spectroscopy revealed characteristic bands associated with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of carbohydrates, as well as amine groups of proteins. HPLC analysis of monosaccharide composition detected the presence of mannose, galactose, and glucose. Physicochemical characterization of the fraction after gel filtration indicated that bioemulsifier SC04 is a high molecular weight protein-oligosaccharide complex. This bioemulsifier demonstrated stability at different pH values, temperatures, and salinities. At a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL, it exhibited 51.8% scavenging of DPPH radicals. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation using the MTT assay revealed a noncytotoxic effect of SC04 against normal epithelial kidney cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a new eco-friendly bioemulsifier, named SC04, which exhibits significant emulsifying ability, antioxidant and anticancer properties, and stabilizing properties. These findings suggest that SC04 is a promising candidate for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors.