Chapter 16 - Bacterial pigments and their applications

Abstract

Scientific research on bacterial pigments is still in its early stages, while fungal pigments are well known. In addition, most bacteria have not been fully characterized, and many species are unable to be cultured in the laboratory. Bacteria have a short lifespan, and because of this, it can be a useful alternative source to produce synthetic pigments. Carotenoids, even so, are the most investigated. Thialkalivibrio, Achromobactin, Sarcina, Serratia, and Bacillus sp. all have strains that can generate pigments in high yields, though Microbispora, Streptosporangium, Nocardia, Streptomyces, Actinomadura, Micromonospora, Thermomonospora, Actinoplanes, and Rhodococcus are not involved in pigment production. There are also multiple health benefits in addition to their usage in the cosmetics and food industries, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anticancer properties found in bacterial pigments. In the food, clothing, and cosmetics industries, the use of pigments as dye agents is quite common. Natural pigments, found both in plants and microbes, work to fight disease by blocking microbes and viruses from spreading because pigments have antiinflammatory and anticancer properties. As a result, a variety of natural pigments have been identified, each with its own set of benefits, such as pigment stability, availability of cultivation technology, ease of downstream processing, and lower cost. Although pigments like melanin, violaceins, quinones, and indigoidines are primarily used in textile, food, and cosmetic products, they have also been found to be enhanced antimicrobial agents. Even though pigment molecules could act as bioindicators, antioxidants, and anticancer agents due to their therapeutic properties, their potential is increasingly becoming an important research area in the biomedical field. The bacterially produced pigments that follow possess the properties necessary to be considered beneficial in the healthcare industry.