From 'Yellow Grease' to Therapeutic Cosmetics

Filed in archive Other Biotechnology News on February 28, 2007

"Yellow Grease" or waste cooking oil (from restaurant deep fryers) can become a source of inexpensive raw material for the production of biosurfactants that can be used to make therapeutic cosmetics that regenerate damaged skin or even to control algae blooms in lakes and ponds.

Such were the findings of a research team from Dowling College in Oakdale, N.Y

"We have successfully demonstrated the use of restaurant waste oil as a potential low-cost lipid feedstock for sophorolipid production. This method of waste oil disposal has the advantage of producing a value-added commercially viable byproduct.

Sophorolipids have a range of applications, including naturally derived ingredients in therapeutic cosmetics; germicidal solutions for washing fruits and vegetables; and anti-algal agents for environmental cleanups."

The study report will appear in the April 9 issue of the ACS (American Chemical Society) bimonthly journal Biotechnology Progress.

Sources: Science Daily, PhysOrg