• Stress alters pigment production and composition in Talaromyces purpureogenus • EtOH and H 2 O 2 addition increases red pigment productivity • T. purpureogenus pigments exhibit anti-glycation activity • Fungal pigments show potential as sustainable, functional food dyes Biological pigment production has become increasingly important because of adverse health effects associated with chemical dyes. The fungus Talaromyces purpureogenus has been used to produce extracellular water-soluble red pigments similar to those produced by Monascus . Several studies have investigated Monascus pigment production under certain stress conditions; however, few have examined extracellular pigment production in Talaromyces . Furthermore, little research has been conducted on the use of fungal pigments as functional food dyes. Therefore, we evaluated the ability of T. purpureogenus to withstand abiotic stress in cultivation media and the effects of stress on pigment productivity. Abiotic stress was induced via the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl), sea salts, ethanol (EtOH), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Stressful conditions altered pigment production and composition. An increase in yellow-to-red pigment production ratio was observed under saline stress with both NaCl and sea salts. The yield of yellow pigment increased 1.44-fold in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl, while the yellow-to-red pigment ratio rose from 1.59 to 3.88 in the presence of 2% (w/v) sea salts. Addition of 1% (v/v) EtOH and 0.5% v/v H 2 O 2 (30% w/w) increased red pigment production by 2.59- and 1.67-fold, respectively. Differences in colourant properties were highlighted using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic measurements. Partially purified pigments inhibited bovine serum albumin glycation in the presence of ᴅ-ribose, demonstrating their potential to prevent the formation of advanced glycation end products. Overall, these findings demonstrated that stress conditions can improve pigment productivity in T. purpureogenus and highlight the possibility of producing functional food dyes.

Bread is a widely consumed fermented and baked food traditionally produced from wheat flour. In Ethiopia, strong dependence on imported wheat and significant postharvest losses of potato, estimated at 20–40%, highlight the need for alternative flour blends that enhance nutrition and reduce waste. This study examined how different proportions of potato and maize, combined with varying fermentation periods, affect the quality of wheat-based composite bread. Three formulations—BR1 (5% maize, 70% wheat, 25% potato), BR2 (15% maize, 70% wheat, 15% potato), and BR3 (25% maize, 70% wheat, 5% potato)—were evaluated with fermentation times of 1:40, 2:00, and 2:20 hours using a 3 × 3 factorial design with triplicates. A 100% wheat bread served as the control. Nutritional analysis showed that BR2 had the highest protein content (12.34%), while BR3 recorded the greatest fat (3.76%) and fiber (2.00%). In baked breads, the 2:20-hour control yielded the highest protein (14.61%). BR3 had the highest fiber (1.87%), and BR1 had the highest ash level (4.44%). BR1 also contained the most carbohydrates (52.66%), whereas BR2 provided the greatest energy value (271.80 kcal/100 g). Mineral results indicated that BR3 was richest in iron (18.98 mg/100 g), while BR2 had the highest calcium (63.33 mg/100 g) and zinc (7.29 mg/100 g). Sensory evaluation showed good acceptability for all breads, with BR2 fermented for 2:00 hours receiving the highest preference. Microbial analysis confirmed that all samples were safe. The study concludes that using 15% maize and 15% potato with a fermentation time of 2 hours results in nutritionally improved and acceptable composite bread.

• Developed a healthy extruded snack using germinated Tubtim Chum Phae rice flour and silkworm pupae powder. • The fortified snack is rich in protein, GABA, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants. • Fortifying extruded snacks with silkworm pupae powder significantly improved the amino acid profile, particularly methionine, valine, and lysine. • This innovation addresses nutritional deficiencies while contributing to environmental sustainability. This study optimized the extrusion parameters using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder for developing a fortified nutritional snack by incorporating silkworm pupae powder (SWP) into germinated Tubtim Chum Phae rice flour (GRF). Response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD) was employed to evaluate the effects of SWP content (10–30%), screw speed (SC; 350–420 rpm), and feed moisture (FM; 18–24%) on the quality attributes of the snack. The responses analyzed included expansion ratio (ER), hardness, protein content, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (AOA), and overall liking (OL). The results showed that increasing SWP decreased ER and OL but significantly increased hardness, protein, TPC, TFC, and AOA. Higher SC reduced protein, GABA, TPC, and AOA, whereas higher FM negatively impacted hardness, protein, GABA, and OL. The optimized conditions of 24% SWP, 397 rpm SC, and 18% FM, the ER, hardness, and protein content of the extrudates were 1.97%, 5.22 kg, and 21.55%, respectively. The corresponding GABA, TPC, TFC, and AOA values were 19.27 mg/100 g, 3,294 mg GAE/100 g, 331.50 mg QE/100 g, and 211.14 mg TE/100 g, respectively, with an OL score of 6.9. The prototype snack had response values close to the predicted values and had higher protein content, TPC, TFC, AOA, and total essential amino acids compared to GRF. These findings indicate that incorporating SWP into GRF improves the nutritional quality of extruded snacks, supporting their potential as functional foods with health benefits.