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Review
. 2019 Nov 22;7(12):604.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7120604.

Fungal Pigments and Their Prospects in Different Industries

Ajay C Lagashetti  1 , Laurent Dufossé  2 , Sanjay K Singh  1 , Paras N Singh  1
Affiliations
Review

Fungal Pigments and Their Prospects in Different Industries

Ajay C Lagashetti et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

The public's demand for natural, eco-friendly, and safe pigments is significantly increasing in the current era. Natural pigments, especially fungal pigments, are receiving more attention and seem to be in high demand worldwide. The immense advantages of fungal pigments over other natural or synthetic pigments have opened new avenues in the market for a wide range of applications in different industries. In addition to coloring properties, other beneficial attributes of fungal pigments, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activity, have expanded their use in different sectors. This review deals with the study of fungal pigments and their applications and sheds light on future prospects and challenges in the field of fungal pigments. Furthermore, the possible application of fungal pigments in the textile industry is also addressed.

Keywords: color; dyeing; fungal pigments; natural pigments; textile fabrics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pigments reported from Monascus species (M. ruber and M. purpureus), re-drawn from [52,54,56,57,58,59].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pigments from fungal genera of Nectriaceae (Fusarium, Fusicolla, and Albonectria), re-drawn from [25,47,63,65,66,68].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pigments from the genera Penicillium and Talaromyces. (a) Different pigments produced by Penicillium species, re-drawn from [41,91,93,94,123]. (b) Various pigments produced by Talaromyces species, re-drawn from [100,101,107,109].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Monascus–like azaphilone pigments of Penicillium and Talaromyces species, re-drawn from [25,95,106].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Pigments from the genus Aspergillus and its teleomorphic genera. (a) Structures of pigments produced by Aspergillus species. (b) Pigments produced by species of Eurotium (teleomorph of Aspergillus). (c) Pigments produced by species of Emericella (teleomorph of Aspergillus), re-drawn from [25].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pigments produced by members of the fungal family Pleosporaceae (species of Alternaria, Curvularia, Astrosphaeriella, and Pyrenophora), re-drawn from [25,76,77,78].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pigments from other fungi. (a) Pigments from Trichoderma species, based on [25]. (b) Pigments from Neurospora species, re-drawn from [25,90].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Pigments from the fungi of Xylariaceae and Chaetomiaceae families. (a) Pigments from members of the Xylariaceae family (species of Daldinia, Hypoxylon, and Jackrogersella), re-drawn from [25]. (b) Pigments from members of the Chaetomiaceae family (species of Chaetomium and Achaetomium) and Hypoxylaceae, re-drawn from [25,84].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Pigments from the fungi of the Cordycipitaceae family and some other group. (a) Pigments from members of the families Cordycipitaceae (species of Beauveria, Torrubiella, Cordyceps, Hyperdermium, and Lecanicillium) and Ophiocordycipitaceae (Ophiocordyceps sp.), re-drawn from [25,41,73,74,75,125]. (b) Pigments known from other groups of fungi (species of Chlorociboria, Scytalidium, and Epicoccum), re-drawn from [37,41].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Pigments reported from yeasts such as Rhodotorula glutini and Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, re-drawn from [13,128].
Figure 11
Figure 11
Pigments produced by marine fungal isolates, re-drawn from [69,72,79,82,117].
Figure 12
Figure 12
Pigments from different taxonomic groups of fungi having promising anticancer or antitumor potential, re-drawn from [32,56,57,58,62,68,88,89,113,204,205].
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