Abstract
The production of pigments by edible filamentous fungi is gaining attention as a result of the increased interest in natural sources with added functionality in the food, feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and textile industries. The filamentous fungus Neurospora intermedia, used for production of the Indonesian food “oncom”, is one potential source of pigments. The objective of the study was to evaluate the fungus’ pigment production. The joint effect from different factors (carbon and nitrogen source, ZnCl2, MgCl2 and MnCl2) on pigment production by N. intermedia is reported for the first time. The scale-up to 4.5 L bubble column bioreactors was also performed to investigate the effect of pH and aeration. Pigment production of the fungus was successfully manipulated by varying several factors. The results showed that the formation of pigments was strongly influenced by light, carbon, pH, the co-factor Zn2+ and first- to fourth-order interactions between factors. The highest pigmentation (1.19 ± 0.08 mg carotenoids/g dry weight biomass) was achieved in a bubble column reactor. This study provides important insights into pigmentation of this biotechnologically important fungus and lays a foundation for future utilizations of N. intermedia for pigment production.
Highlights
Pigments used in the food, feed and cosmetic industries are obtained via synthetic or natural routes [1]
This study presents the influence of carbon and nitrogen sources and trace metals on pigment production by N. intermedia
A full factorial experiment was conducted investigate their effect in onTable pigment production
Summary
Pigments used in the food, feed and cosmetic industries are obtained via synthetic or natural routes [1]. The first synthetic pigment “mauve” (aniline purple), by William Henry Perkin in 1856, marked the beginning of the modern color industry. This led to the replacement of natural pigments by synthetic ones mainly due to their lower cost, higher stability, and ease of large-scale production possibilities [2]. The pigments have potential antioxidant [3] and antitumor properties, which can add functionality to the products [4]. The carotenoid pigment group has antioxidant and provitamin A activity [5]
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