A review on pigment producing soil fungi and its applications

Abstract

Much interest has been brought to microbial pigments owing to their broad-spectrum of industrial applications coupled with their safe and eco-friendly characteristics. Soil fungi have been explored as a feasible resource of natural colouring agents and have been used as a safer alternative to synthetic hues. In addition to the colouring ability, many of the fungal pigments are known to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties, which extend their use in a multidimensional angle. The present review discusses the different pigments derived from soil fungi, the influence of culture conditions on pigment production, various methods of extraction techniques, diverse pigment characterization techniques and their applications. In addition to the advantages of fungal pigments, a lot of challenges pertaining to the use of fungal pigments are also delineated.