Abstract
Fungal colorants are gradually entering the global color market, given their advantages of being less harmful to human health, as well as having greater stability and biotechnological potential, compared to other natural sources. The present work concerns the isolation and identification of an endophytic filamentous fungus, together with the chemical characterization and assessment of the fluorescence, toxicity, stability, and application potential of its synthesized red colorant. The endophytic fungus was isolated from Hymenaea courbaril, a tree from the Brazilian savannah, and was identified as Talaromyces minnesotensis by phenotypic and genotypic characterization. Submerged cultivation of the fungus resulted in the production of approximately 12 AU500 of a red biocolorant which according to LC-DAD-MS analysis is characterized by being a complex mixture of molecules of the azaphilone class. Regarding cytotoxicity assays, activity against human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells was only observed at concentrations above 5.0 g L−1, while antimicrobial effects against pathogenic bacteria and yeast occurred at concentrations above 50.0 g L−1. The biocolorant showed high stability at neutral pH values and low temperatures (10 to 20 °C) and high half-life values (t1/2), which indicates potential versatility for application in different matrices, as observed in tests using detergent, gelatin, enamel, paint, and fabrics. The results demonstrated that the biocolorant synthesized by Talaromyces minnesotensis has potential for future biotechnological applications.
Key Points
• An endophytic fungus, which was isolated and identified, synthesize a red colorant.
• The colorant showed fluorescence property, low toxicity, and application potential.
• The red biocolorant was highly stable at pH 8.0 and temperatures below 20°C.
Graphical Abstract
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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The authors would like to thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES, Finance Code 001) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, grant number 309728/2021-5) for financial support of this work.
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This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES, Finance Code 001) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, grant number 309728/2021–5).
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MS and AB conceived and designed research. MS, MP, FC, LR, YA, RC and FO conducted experiments. MS, FC, YA, RC, FO, FL, AB, CS, FA, LM and AB analyzed data, wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Sousa, M.D.B., Pereira, M.L., Cruz, F.P.N. et al. Red biocolorant from endophytic Talaromyces minnesotensis: production, properties, and potential applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 107, 3699–3716 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12491-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12491-7