The use of carbohydrates as the hydrophilic part of a surfactant
has been known for half of a century (Bazin et al.,
1998; Goue´th et al., 1995). The carbohydrates range from lignin
and lecithin to sugars (Bazito and El Seoud, 2001), such as
sorbitol. Sorbitol-based surfactants have enjoyed great success
and are currently commercially available from multiple
sources, most commonly as the Span series These
surfactants are considered to have excellent properties for
emollients, or emulsifiers in the food and personal-care industries.
An additional benefit is that in some of these surfactants,
such as Span 60, both the hydrophilic part and the hydrophobic