Screening, Genetics and Biophysics -- Screening Concepts for the Isolation of Biosurfactant Producing Microorganisms -- Molecular Genetics of Biosurfactant Synthesis in Microorganisms -- Interaction of Dirhamnolipid Biosurfactants with Phospholipid Membranes: A Molecular Level Study -- Properties And Potentialapplications -- Microbial Surfactants and Their Potential Applications: An Overview -- Microbial Biosurfactants and Biodegradation -- Biomedical and therapeutic applications of biosurfactants -- Microbial Surfactants of Marine Origin: Potentials and Prospects -- Biomimetic Amphiphiles: Properties and Potential Use -- Applications of Biological Surface Active Compounds in Remediation Technologies -- Possibilities and Challenges for Biosurfactants Use in Petroleum Industry -- Bacterial Biosurfactants, and Their Role in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) -- Biosurfactant Production -- Molecular Engineering Aspects for the Production of New and Modified Biosurfactants -- Rhamnolipid Surfactants: Alternative Substrates, New Strategies -- Selected Microbial Glycolipids: Production, Modification and Characterization -- Production of Microbial Biosurfactants by Solid-State Cultivation -- Rhamnolipid Biosurfactants: Production and their Potential in Environmental Biotechnology -- Biosurfactant’s Role in Bioremediation of NAPL and Fermentative Production -- Biosurfactants from Yeasts: Characteristics, Production and Application -- Environmentally Friendly Biosurfactants Produced by Yeasts -- Synthesis of Biosurfactants and Their Advantages to Microorganisms and Mankind -- Enrichment and Purification of Lipopeptide Biosurfactants -- Production of Surface Active Compounds by Biocatalyst Technology -- The Most Studied Biosurfactants -- Structural and Molecular Characteristics of Lichenysin and Its Relationship with Surface Activity -- Surfactin: Biosynthesis, Genetics and Potential Applications.

This is supposed to be the most up-to-date book on ‘biosurfactants’. Moreover, the enormous commercial and healthcare potentials of biosurfactants and the current market demand for cost competitive and environment friendly alternatives to synthetic surfactants, particularly when an impending petroleum crisis is looming large all over the world, have encouraged me to undertake the challenge of editing this book on ‘Biosurfactants’. We endeavor not only to highlight the tremendous progress made by the scientific community in this field of research, but also to critically analyze the lacunae to improve the commercial prospects of these wonder biomolecules by resorting to novel screening methods, metabolic pathway engineering, and innovative process development and application strategies. I do fervently hope that the book will be able to cater to the needs of the research scientists and technologists at large. We will be very happy if our sincere efforts enhance the reader’s understanding of the new developments in this subject area.