Foaming behavior of sugar-based surfactants: influence of molecular structure and anticipation from surface properties

Sugar-based surfactants are a class of environmentally-friendly surface-active molecules well known for their functional performances, good biodegradability and reduced ecological footprint. Many previous studies have explored the surface properties of these surfactants. However, very little research has investigated their foaming properties. The present study examines the foaming behavior of 17 nonionic sugar-based surfactants with gradual structure variation. Foaming properties such as foamability, foam stability and maximum foam density were measured using the gas-sparging method. The influence of surfactant structure and concentration on foaming properties was evaluated. The data on surface adsorption properties, determined in the previous study, and foaming properties were then analyzed using a Principal Component Analysis. It was shown that the foaming behavior of glycolipids can be correlated to concentration and interfacial properties. Predictive models are proposed to anticipate the foaming behavior and provide a useful guide for screening the foamability of bio-based surfactants in various technological applications.