Application of Bacterial Pigments as Colorant

Abstract

Before the turn of the nineteenth century, natural dyes were the only source of color available and were widely used and traded, providing a major source of wealth creation around the globe. Since the introduction of synthetic dyes, many convenient and cheap synthetic pigments have appeared with Azo dyes as the most frequently used synthetic dyes on the industrial scale. However, environmental concerns regarding synthetic dyes saw a revival in the demand for natural dyes which exhibit better biodegradability and generally have a higher compatibility with the environment. Lately, the potential of obtaining natural color from microbial pigments to be used as natural colorants is being actively inves- tigated. However, most of the bacterial pigment production is still at the R&D stage. Hence, work on the production of pigments from bacteria should be intensified especially in finding cheap and suitable growth medium which can reduce the cost and increase its applicability for industrial production.