Production of Bio-Based Pigments from Food Processing Industry By-Products (Apple, Pomegranate, Black Carrot, Red Beet Pulps) Using Aspergillus carbonarius.

Ezgi Bezirhan Arikan,Yanis Caro,Nadir Dizge,Laurent Dufossé,Oltan Canli

doi:10.3390/jof6040240

Abstract

Food processing industry by-products (apple, pomegranate, black carrot, and red beet pulps) were evaluated as raw materials in pigment production by the filamentous fungi Aspergillus carbonarius. The effect of fermentation conditions (solid and submerged-state), incubation period (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 d), initial substrate pH (4.5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5), and pulp particle size (<1.4, 1.4–2.0, 2–4, and >4 mm) on fungal pigment production were tested to optimize the conditions. Pigment extraction analysis carried out under solid-state fermentation conditions showed that the maximum pigment production was determined as 9.21 ± 0.59 absorbance unit at the corresponding wavelength per gram (AU/g) dry fermented mass (dfm) for pomegranate pulp (PP) by A. carbonarius for 5 d. Moreover, the highest pigment production was obtained as 61.84 ± 2.16 AU/g dfm as yellowish brown at initial pH 6.5 with < 1.4 mm of substrate particle size for 15-d incubation period. GC×GC-TOFMS results indicate that melanin could be one of the main products as a pigment. SEM images showed that melanin could localize on the conidia of A. carbonarius.

Highlights

Color has always been the basis for the evaluation of both aesthetics and quality for humanity [1].Pigments that can be defined as colorant compounds are used in many industries such as textiles, cosmetics, dyes, pharmaceuticals, food etc. [2,3]
Based on the aspects cited above, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential ability of pigment production by the filamentous fungi Aspergillus carbonarius, using food processing industry by-products including apple, pomegranate, black carrot, and red beet pulp
After the inoculation of A. carbonarius onto different pulps, it was observed that fungus was grown on each different pulp type and covered the surface of the pulps within 3 d

Summary

Introduction

Color has always been the basis for the evaluation of both aesthetics and quality for humanity [1].Pigments that can be defined as colorant compounds are used in many industries such as textiles, cosmetics, dyes, pharmaceuticals, food etc. [2,3]. Before the discovery of synthetic colorants in the mid-19th century, pigments were obtained from natural sources such as animals, plants, and rocks [4]. The discovery of a synthetic pigment named mauveine in 1856 [5] triggered the industries’ usage of synthetic pigments [6]. Recent studies have shown that some synthetic pigments may have carcinogenic, teratogenic, and allergenic effects [2,7]. For this reason, utilization of some synthetic pigments in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products is limited or prohibited by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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