Sugar fatty acid esters biodegradation

I. J. A. Baker, B. Matthews, H. Suares, I. Krodkiewska, D. N. Furlong, and C. J. Drummond, Sugar fatty acid ester surfactants Structure and ultimate aerobic biodegradability, J. Surfactants Deterg., 3 (2000) 1—11. 

The disappearance of sucrose ester surfactants from river water samples was studied by measuring the consequent increase in surface tension. This showed 100% primary biodegradation within 2 days [70,71]. An advantage of sugar fatty acid esters is their ready anaerobic biodegradation. Complete primary biodegradation within 2 days was also observed under anaerobic conditions [70]. 

Drummond, C. J., Fong, C., Krodkiewska, I. et al. (2003) Sugar fatty acid esters, in Novel Surfactants Preparation, Applications, and Biodegradability, 2nd edn. Revised and Expanded (ed. K. Holmberg), Surfactant Science Series 114, Chapter 3, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 95-128. 

Fatty acid esters of sugars are also very important biodegradable and biocompatible surfactants that are prepared either by transesterification of methyl ester with sugar on basic catalysts or by esterification of fatty acids with sugar on acidic catalysts. Liquid acids and bases have been replaced by enzymatic catalysis with lipase, giving a higher yield of monoester [43, 44], but solid catalysts have not been used extensively so far. 

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