The role of biosurfactants in the improvement of texture and shelf life of starch-containing products

Microbial surfactants, also known as biosurfactants, have been applied as additives in food processing industry to improve product quality, texture, and shelf life. The addition of biosurfactants, to a certain extent, into starch-containing foods can enhance the textural properties, such as hardness, chewiness, cohesiveness, adhesion, and springiness. As an amphipathic biomolecule, biosurfactant can stabilize and reduce the surface tension between two immiscible phases, such as oil and water, thus allowing their intimate mixing. The emulsifying capability of biosurfactants can contribute to the stabilization of the emulsion. In addition, the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of biosurfactants play a crucial role in improving storage time and ensuring safety and quality food products to consumers. Furthermore, biosurfactants are also biodegradable and exhibit low- or non-toxicity, making them a safe replacement of synthetic surfactants in the formulation and of based and other food products. This chapter discusses the effect of the addition of biosurfactants on the textural properties and shelf life of starch-containing foods. A discussion of the textural properties of some food products before and after the addition of biosurfactants is also given to give a better insight.