Physics Maths Engineering

Production, Extraction and Partial Characterization of Natural Pigments from Chryseobacterium sp. kr6 Growing on Feather Meal Biomass






  Peer Reviewed

Abstract

Key Questions

Microbial Pigment Production

How can bacteria produce natural pigments? What are new sources of natural food colorants? Can feather waste be used to produce pigments?

Pigment Extraction Methods

What are effective methods to extract bacterial pigments? How does ultrasound extraction compare to mechanical extraction? Which solvents work best for extracting bacterial pigments?

Pigment Characterization

What are the properties of pigments from Chryseobacterium sp.? How can bacterial pigments be analyzed and identified? Do bacterial pigments have antioxidant properties?

Applications

What are potential uses for microbial pigments? Can bacterial pigments replace synthetic food colorants? Do microbial pigments have antimicrobial properties?

The paper describes the production of yellow pigments by Chryseobacterium sp. kr6 grown on feather meal. It details optimized methods for pigment extraction using ultrasound and acetone. The pigments were partially characterized and showed antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This research demonstrates a potential way to produce natural colorants from waste materials, with applications in food, cosmetics and other industries.


Abstract

Obtaining natural pigments from microorganisms is an alternative with high potential for biotechnological application. The use of agro-industrial wastes as substrate for cultivations enables a reduction of the production cost and may add value to potentially polluting byproducts. In this work, the extraction of pigments produced by the bacterium Chryseobacterium sp. strain kr6 was evaluated, employing feather meal as the sole carbon source for bacterial growth. The maximum production of the yellow pigments was observed for cultivation at 30 °C, during 48 h, with 5 g/L feather meal. The pigment extraction from the bacterial biomass was performed with the aid of physical methods and the testing of different organic solvents. The conditions that provided better extraction were using ultrasound with acetone as the solvent, reaching a yield of 180 μg/g biomass after optimization. The pigment was partially characterized via UV-visible, FTIR and mass spectroscopy and CIELAB color parameters, suggesting the presence of molecules belonging to the flexirubin group (aryl polyenes). The antioxidant capacity of the pigment was confirmed via the scavenging of DPPH radical and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) methodologies. Moreover, the pigment extract showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis.