Natural Pigments of Microbial Origin

Abstract

The world demands new solutions and products to be used as dyes for industrial applications. Microbial pigments represent an eco-friendly alternative as they can be produced in large amounts through biotechnological processes and do not present environmental risks, as they are easily decomposable. Moreover, some of these metabolites are recognized for their biological activities, which qualify them for potential uses as food colorants and nutraceuticals, protecting against degenerative diseases related with oxidative stress. Because of their genetic simplicity as compared with plants, microorganisms may be a better source to understand biosynthetic mechanisms and to be engineered for producing high pigment yields. Despite the origin of the pigmented microorganism, it seems very important to develop protocols using organic industrial residues and agricultural byproducts as substrates for pigment production and find novel green strategies for rapid pigment extraction. This review looks for the most recent studies that describe microbial pigments from microalgae, fungi, and bacteria. In particular, the underexploited tools of omics science such as proteomics and metabolomics are addressed. The use of techniques involving mass spectrometry, allows to identify different protein and metabolite profiles that may be associated with a variety of biotechnologically-relevant pathways of pigment synthesis.

Carotenoids and Some Other Pigments from Fungi and Yeasts

“…It is well-known that, besides carotenoids, microorganisms synthesize many other pigments that are also of essential importance for various areas of human activities and are actively studied or already produced in large amounts by modern biotechnology. Some of them were briefly mentioned in this review, and plenty of special reviews devoted to them were recently published [ 125 , 177 , 178 ]. However, the information about the potential application of carotenoids that were obtained during the last decades testifies that they are still underestimated.…”

Biogenic colourants in the textile industry – a promising and sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes

“…In standard lab conditions, an estimated 90% of putative biosynthetic gene clusters remain silent. 106 Investigation of production conditions of biogenic dyes often lacks a level of detail. The influence of physical and chemical growth parameters such as temperature, pH, aeration conditions, redox conditions, light, carbon and nitrogen sources have been widely acknowledged.…”

Colorful Treasure From Agro-Industrial Wastes: A Sustainable Chassis for Microbial Pigment Production

“…Though synthetic petro-derived colorants have dominated the industries due to low cost and high yield, the rising concerns about their non-biodegradability, carcinogenicity, and environmental toxicity have enthused both industry and researchers to find natural and safe alternatives. In this context, natural and eco-friendly biopigments have sparked great interest due to their non-toxicity, biodegradability, non-carcinogenicity, and non-allergenicity which increases their consumer acceptance, prevents occupational health hazards while negating environmental concerns ( Pailliè-Jiménez et al, 2020 ; Aman Mohammadi et al, 2021 ; Mussagy et al, 2021 ).…”