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Mannosylerythritol lipid

Abbreviation
MEL
Also known as
MELs

A mannosylerythritol lipid (MEL) is a glycolipid biosurfactant produced by certain yeast-like fungi. Its head group combines the sugar mannose with erythritol, a sugar alcohol, and it carries fatty acid chains. MELs are used mainly in cosmetics and personal care.

What is a mannosylerythritol lipid?

Mannosylerythritol lipids, or MELs, are glycolipid biosurfactants. They are produced by yeast-like fungi, including species formerly grouped in the genus Pseudozyma, when grown on plant oils. The molecule’s head group joins mannose, a sugar, to erythritol, a sugar alcohol. Fatty acid chains attached to the head provide the water-repelling part.

Forms

Producers make a mixture of related molecules, commonly labeled MEL-A, MEL-B, MEL-C and MEL-D, which differ in how many acetyl groups are attached to the mannose. The degree of acetylation, together with the fatty acid chains, changes how water-soluble the molecule is and how it behaves.

Properties and uses

MELs are notable for how readily they self-assemble into structures such as vesicles and liquid crystals, and they have attracted interest for their skin-conditioning and moisturizing properties. Their main commercial use has been in cosmetics and personal care, particularly in Japan. They are also studied for other uses, including as emulsifiers and in biomedical applications.

Frequently asked questions

Yeast-like fungi related to smut fungi, including species formerly classified as Pseudozyma, now partly reassigned to other genera.

Both are glycolipid biosurfactants, but they have different sugar head groups and are made by different organisms. Sophorolipids use the sugar sophorose and are made mainly by Starmerella bombicola; MELs use mannose and erythritol.

  • Glycolipid

    A glycolipid is a molecule made of a carbohydrate (sugar) group joined to a lipid (fatty) group. Glycolipids made by microorganisms, such as sophorolipids and rhamnolipids, are the most commercially developed class of biosurfactants.

  • Biosurfactant

    A biosurfactant is a surface-active compound produced by a living microorganism, such as a bacterium or a yeast, rather than made by chemical synthesis. Glycolipids such as sophorolipids and rhamnolipids, and lipopeptides such as surfactin, are the best-known classes.

  • Sophorolipid

    A sophorolipid is a glycolipid biosurfactant made by certain yeasts, principally Starmerella bombicola. Each molecule joins the sugar sophorose to a hydroxylated fatty acid, and it occurs in two main forms: an open acidic form and a closed ring, or lactonic, form.

Sources

  1. Mannosylerythritol lipids: production and applications, Peer-reviewed reviews (e.g. Journal of Oleo Science, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology)
  2. Glycolipid biosurfactants in skincare applications, Peer-reviewed review, PMC10254413