Glycine-acyl Surfactants Prepared from Black Soldier Fly Fat, Coconut Oil and Palm Kernel Oil

What is it about?

Fats from the black soldier fly have a fatty acid profile that resembles coconut and palm kernel oil. Coconut and palm kernel oil production requires large amounts of land, resulting in tropical deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Black soldier flies can be reared in massive amounts on small surfaces and can therefore present a sustainable alternative for the production of this type of fat. Surfactants were prepared by coupling a glycine molecule to fatty acids from black soldier flies and fatty acids from coconut oil and palm kernel oil. The resulting surfactants had very similar chemical profiles and behave very similar. This suggests that fats from BSFL could be used instead of coconut oil or palm kernel oil for synthesizing this type of surfactants.

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Why is it important?

Black soldier flies may present a more sustainable source for the production of fats rich in lauric acid. These types of fats may find application in cosmetics, household products, surfactants, … Implementation of black soldier fly fats may reduce the demand for coconut oil and palm kernel oil for technical application,and may thus reduce pressure on valuable land and forests.