Foaming properties of a natural cyclic lipoheptapeptide belonging to a special class of amphiphilic molecules

The foaming properties of surfactin, a natural cyclic lipoheptapeptide from Bacillus subtilis, were investigated in comparison and in association with those of bovine serum albumin (BSA). An apparatus combining bubbling, optical and conductimetric methods was used to study continuously foam formation and stability in terms of the quantity and density of foam. The increase in surfactin concentration from 0.05 to 0.2 mg/ml had little effect on its foaming capacity, measured by the bubbling time to produce the required foam volume, but improved the foam maximum density significantly. Surfactin produced foam with higher maximum density and stability, and forms more regular and smaller bubbles than BSA. In addition, a synergistic effect was observed on the stability of liquid in foam prepared with a mixture of 50:50 surfactin/BSA. The liquid half-life of BSA foam was enhanced up to 40% when surfactin was added to the solution.