AGAE Achieves Breakthrough in Fermentation Production of Biosurfactant HAA

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AGAE Technologies, LLC ("AGAE"), a leading Oregon-based specialty chemical and biotech company, is pleased to announce its technology breakthroughs in production of the natural biosurfactant HAA – 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoate, a precursor of rhamnolipids (RL). AGAE achieved record-high yields (>100 g/L) for HAA production in a batch fermentation by modification of rhamnolipid production conditions. Fermentation production of HAA is accompanied by co-production of hydroxy steric acid (HSA) and hydroxy oleic acid (HOA). AGAE's technologies enable switching of the fermentation production from rhamnolipids to either HAA plus HSA and HOA or RL plus HAA.

"Production of record-high yields of HAA plus HSA and HOA by fermentation is a serendipitous discovery at AGAE. The added advantage and benefit for this finding is that the same fermentation facilities can be dually employed to produce different, desirable, and significant foam-generating biosurfactants including RL, RL+HAA, HAA+HSA+HOA. This example supports the widespread applicability of AGAE's advanced foam control technologies in other foam-generating fermentations."

-- Xihou Yin, AGAE Founder and Principal Scientist --

HSA and HOA are well known and popular surfactants for use in cosmetic and personal care formulations. Industrial scale production of HAA can facilitate new commercial applications. HAA has been reported to serve as a starting reaction substrate for bio-recycling of plastic waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to produce bio-PU, resulting in value-added medical applications. In addition, like RL, HAA has been found to be equally effective, but via an independent mechanism, in triggering the innate immune defense system within plants, indicating applications to crop protection. Due to the high-yield production of HAA, this biosurfactant will provide a more economical option, alone or when combined with RL, for applications in personal care, household and industrial cleaning, agricultural production, bioremediation, enhanced oil recovery and offshore oil-based drilling formulations, etc.

AGAE is primarily dedicated to manufacturing and supplying its worldwide customers with the best rhamnolipid products available as well as affordable HAA. Promotion of utilization of rhamnolipids is supported by 75 years of solid science. Application of the biosurfactant HAA in diverse industries is on the horizon with improved availability. Rhamnolipids are the most extensively characterized and widely applicable biosurfactant. Yin and his team at AGAE firmly believe that rhamnolipids plus HAA will lead a shifting wave from the use of conventional chemical surfactants to natural green biosurfactants.

To learn more about AGAE and its technologies, products, and business development plans, please contact [email protected].

SOURCE AGAE Technologies, LLC