Concerns about the negative impacts of synthetic colorants on both consumers and the environment have sparked a surge of interest in natural colorants. This has boosted the global demand for natural colorants in the food, cosmetics and textile industries. Pigments and colorants derived from plants and microorganisms are currently the principal sources used by modern industry. When compared to the hazardous effects of synthetic dyes on human health, natural colors are quickly degradable and have no negative consequences. In fact, fungal pigments have multidimensional bioactivity spectra too. Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot has a lot of unique ecological niches known to harbor potential endophytic pigment-producing fungi having enumerable industrial and medical applications. Most of the fungi have coevolved with the plants in a geographical niche and hence the endophytic associations can be thought to bring about many mutually beneficial traits. The current review aims to highlight the potential of fungal pigments found in the Western ghats of India depicting various methods of isolation and screening, pigment extraction and uses. There is an urgent need for bioprospecting for the identification and characterization of extremophilic endophytic fungi to meet industry demands and attain sustainability and balance in nature, especially from geographic hotspots like the Western Ghats.
Bio-inspired designs have been used by humankind in understanding and modelling novel materials which have applications in diverse fields like disease diagnostics, drug delivery, agriculture, energy storage, industry, etc. Superhydrophobicity, directional adhesion, structural colour, self-cleaning, antireflection, etc. are some of the useful attributes for which we have relied a lot on nano level biomimetics. Bioinspired nanolevel designs have been explored in the field of agriculture too. Such nanomaterials and nanodesigns have been used to increase crop yields. They also find uses in fertilizer application and replacement of many harmful chemical pesticides, which are generally overused. Increasing population, increased longevity of people and the urgent need for sustainable environment have led to a dire need for exploration and adaptation of such novel technologies which can help in feeding the growing population. Nanoscale products and technologies can also help in reducing the accumulation of excess fertilizers, pesticides, etc. in soil, which can go a long way in cleaning up the environment. The current attempt is intended to portray the latest developments and future possibilities of bioinspired NT in diverse fields of agriculture like synthesis and delivery of novel pesticides and fertilizers, nanocarriers for gene delivery, sensors to monitor and assess soil conditions, plant pathogen detection and plant nanobionics to detect pollutants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.