Just over a year ago, in May 2024, the publication “Past, present and future of glycolipids from Ustilaginaceae – A review on cellobioselipids and mannosylerythritol lipids” by Sini Münßinger, Alexander Beck, Amira Oraby, and Susanne Zibek appeared in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents.

Dr.-Ing. Susanne Zibek, head of the Bioprocess Development group in the Industrial Biotechnology innovation field at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, had already been approached about this in 2023 by renowned scientists Ashby and Hayes, who were also editors of the special issue on biosurfactants. Sini Münßinger, a doctoral student in Zibek's working group at the Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology IGVP at the University of Stuttgart, took on this publication as the first challenge in her doctoral thesis.

The article was recently honored with the Distinguished Paper Award for the best publication of 2024 in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents. The award was presented by the American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI) at the annual meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) in Portland, Oregon, USA, at the end of April 2025.

The article by researchers at Fraunhofer IGB and IGVP at the University of Stuttgart deals with the glycolipid biosurfactants cellobiosolipids (CL) and mannosyerythritollipids (MEL), which are mainly synthesized by microorganisms of the family Ustilaginaceae. These biosurfactants exhibit a wide structural diversity, differing in their sugar units and the fatty acids bound to them, which leads to a potentially broad range of applications. Their literature review provides a detailed overview of known microbial producers of CL and MEL as well as the metabolic pathways that lead to different molecular structures. In addition, current advances in the aerobic fermentative synthesis of glycolipids and their purification methods are presented.

Extensive knowledge is already available on the two glycolipids CL and MEL, including their biosynthesis. There are numerous scientific publications on their production on a laboratory scale. However, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge of these glycolipids and their large-scale production. Future studies are needed to fill these gaps comprehensively.

“We are delighted to receive this award,” said the authors of the paper on receiving the award. "This knowledge, together with the gaps identified, can serve as a guide for targeted research and development of CL and MEL production processes. As bio-based alternatives to conventional oleochemical surfactants, these biotensides derived from renewable raw materials have long-term potential for industrial applications and offer sustainability advantages to counter current challenges such as fossil resource depletion and climate change."