Would you consider rubbing used oil from a deep-fat fryer into your face?
Oil from restaurant kitchens may soon be recycled into products ranging from cosmetics and soaps to industrial surfactants used to clean up oil spills. Researchers at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York, found that used vegetable oil can be fermented with the yeast Candida bombicola to produce “biosurfactants”.
Surfactants play a key role in products as diverse as detergents and pesticides. The yeast process creates biodegradable surfactants called sophorolipids, which are often used in skin and hair products. Normally, though, these surfactants are made from petroleum, are…
