Wine lees as a platform for bio-based surfactant production via enzymatic synthesis

Monoacylglycerols (MAG) are a class of non-ionic surfactants, widely used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. MAGs can be synthesized from inexpensive natural resources, such as wine lees -the solid residues generated during winemaking- which represent an abundant yet underutilized biomass with strong potential as renewable feedstock for the production of bio-based surfactants. Specifically, this work demonstrated the feasibility of upcycling wine lees into sustainable bio-based surfactant systems. Valuable components were extracted from red and white wine lees using maceration and Soxhlet methods, applying both one-pot and sequential strategies. Two glycerol-rich extracts were selected as substrates for the enzymatic synthesis of 1-palmitoylglycerol (GMP). The interfacial properties of GMP were evaluated alone and in combination with a soy protein hydrolysate, and water-in-oil emulsions were formulated and assessed using stability indices and confocal microscopy. Finally, more complex W/O emulsions, including a rheological modifier, antioxidants, and a buffering agent, were produced.