Processing economically and socio-culturally significant Amazonian fruits—andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.), açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), and babassu (Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng.)—generates substantial biomass waste, posing critical environmental and waste management challenges. This study explored the valorization of these abundant residual biomasses as sustainable feedstocks for biosurfactant production by bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa P23G-02, while simultaneously profiling their nutritional value and broader implications for a circular bioeconomy. Through liquid fermentation, biosurfactants were produced at an approximate yield of 6 mg/mL. The isolated biosurfactants exhibited favorable properties, including emulsification indices of around 60% and surface tension reduction to below 30 mN/m, with the andiroba-derived biosurfactant identified as a rhamnolipid type. Nutritional profiling of the residues revealed significant energy values, reaching up to 656 kcal/100 g, with açai and babassu residues being carbohydrate-rich (exceeding 80%), and andiroba residues exhibiting a high lipid profile (up to 57%). These distinct compositions critically influenced biosurfactant yield. These findings underscore the viability of Amazonian fruit biomass as valuable resources for developing eco-friendly bioproducts and innovative waste management solutions. While highlighting a promising pathway for circular bioeconomy development, future research should address biosafety and explore alternative microbial hosts for applications in sensitive sectors such as food and nutrition.

Biossurfactantes (BS) são moléculas de relevância industrial significativa, reconhecidas por suas propriedades tensoativas e potencial para produção por microrganismos que utilizam fontes alternativas de carbono e energia. O cacau (Theobroma cacao L.), fruto amazônico amplamente utilizado como matéria-prima na produção de chocolate, representa um recurso alternativo exemplar. Apesar da falta de valor econômico atribuído aos resíduos provenientes do processamento do cacau, esses subprodutos podem ser substratos valiosos para a produção de BS. Este estudo avaliou a eficácia da bactéria Pseudomonas aeruginosa BM02 na produção de BS, usando resíduos de cacau como matéria-prima, bem como investigou o potencial do BS como agente dispersante de óleo. O BS bruto exibiu uma concentração de ramnolipídios de 3,06 g/L e índice de emulsificação de 60%, influenciando significativamente na capacidade de dispersão do óleo de motor, que atingiu 2,5 cm2/min após 10 minutos. Esses resultados evidenciam a viabilidade, inovação e sustentabilidade da utilização de resíduos de cacau como matéria-prima para na produção de BS, com aplicações promissoras para biorremediação de áreas contaminadas por hidrocarbonetos. Ademais, essa abordagem contribui diretamente para a economia circular na Amazônia, pois a utilização sustentável de resíduos agroindustriais demonstra potencial para aumentar o valor agregado dentro da cadeia de produção local, proporcionando, assim, implicações sociais importantes ao promover o crescimento econômico na região.

Rhamnolipids, biosurfactants synthesized from natural resources, demonstrate significant applications, including notable insecticidal efficacy against Aedes aegypti L., the primary vector for numerous arboviruses. The global spread of A. aegypti poses substantial public health challenges, requiring innovative and sustainable control strategies. This research investigates the use of andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) biomass waste as a substrate for synthesizing a rhamnolipid biosurfactant (BSAW) produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and evaluates its insecticidal activity against A. aegypti. The findings indicate a biosurfactant yield of 4.42 mg mL⁻¹, alongside an emulsification index approaching 60%. BSAW successfully reduced both surface and interfacial tensions to below 30 mN/m and 4 mN/m, respectively. Characterization revealed that BSAW is a di-rhamnolipid, consisting of two rhamnose units covalently linked to a saturated C₁₀ fatty acid chain. At a concentration of 1.0 mg mL⁻¹, BSAW exhibited notable larvicidal activity, leading to structural impairments and cellular dysfunctions in A. aegypti larvae while also disrupting their associated bacterial microbiota. Moreover, BSAW effectively deterred oviposition in adult mosquitoes. These findings underscore BSAW’s potential to compromise various developmental stages of A. aegypti, supporting integrated arbovirus management approaches. Furthermore, this research emphasizes the feasibility of utilizing agro-industrial waste as substrates for microbial rhamnolipid production.

Copaiba (Copaifera L.) and andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) are native tropical trees of the Amazon, extensively utilized for their oils, which possess diverse nutritional, economic, and pharmacological applications. These oils exhibit antimicrobial properties against various bacteria, including key pathogens implicated in bovine mastitis, a prevalent inflammatory condition affecting dairy cattle’s mammary glands. However, their hydrophobic characteristics pose challenges in formulating effective therapeutic agents. Furthermore, inadequate disposal of by-products from andiroba processing results in severe economic, social, and environmental repercussions. This study explores the feasibility of utilizing residual biomass from andiroba fruit processing to produce a rhamnolipid biosurfactant by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, designated as BSAW. The extraction yield of BSAW was approximately 5 mg/mL, exhibiting an emulsifying activity of 60% and a surface tension reduction to 28 mN/m. At concentrations as low as 2.5 mg/mL, BSAW exhibited antibacterial activity against ATCC strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae, as well as clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp., and Corynebacterium bovis. Additionally, BSAW serves as a stabilizing agent for an oil-water nanoemulsion containing copaiba oil (NEBSAW) through high-energy methods, enhancing antimicrobial activity at concentrations below 0.02 mg/mL. This study underscores the potential of rhamnolipid biosurfactants as eco-friendly alternatives for nanoemulsion formulations and highlights the importance of regional biodiversity in driving innovative and environmentally responsible solutions. Future recommendations include optimizing extraction methodologies and investigating additional applications of BSAW to address unsustainable development practices.

The search for sustainable bioremediation technologies is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It requires the prospecting of unique environments, such as mining, and the development of low-cost production strategies. This study aimed to isolate biosurfactant-producing bacteria from copper tailings collected at the Salobo mine, Marabá, Pará, to evaluate biosurfactant production and chemical structure using andiroba biomass waste from the Brazilian Amazon as feedstock, and to assess the direct application of the cell-free broth (CFB) for the remediation of metal-contaminated soil. The isolated biosurfactant-producing bacterial AMSD-04 strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. This bacterium was cultivated using andiroba biomass waste as raw material, achieving a yield of 9.78 g/L of the extracted product and an estimated rhamnolipid-equivalent titer of 15.65 mg/L based on the orcinol rhamnose assay after 12 days of incubation. Chemical characterization indicated that the product is a mixture of rhamnolipid congeners, primarily the di-rhamnolipid. The CFB was applied for the mobilization of total Fe and total Cr from contaminated soil, demonstrating selectivity for total Fe with a maximum metal mobilization capacity of 22.2 mg/kg soil, representing approximately 89% mobilization, compared with 19.5 mg/kg soil (78% mobilization) for total Cr. Kinetic studies revealed a rapid mobilization process where the empirical pseudo-first-order model provided lower non-linear error values (χ² = 0.060 for total Fe; 0.140 for total Cr) and closer agreement with experimental equilibrium capacities compared to the pseudo-second-order model. These findings indicate that the direct use of CFB from this novel isolate represents a potentially low-cost and bio-based strategy for ex situ laboratory-scale soil washing. This work reinforces the importance of biotechnological processes for generating sustainable bioproducts with industrial applications from agro-industrial and traditional Amazonian waste.