Preliminary Studies on Microbial Bio-colors as Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Pigments

Present investigation explores the potential of microbial pigments as ecofriendly colorants for application in food industries. Six pigment-producing bacterial strains—Serratia marcescens, Chromobacterium violaceum, Kocuria rosea, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pantoea agglomerans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—were used Extraction and purification of pigments were carried out using solvent-based methods followed by chromatographic (HPLC, GC-MS) and spectroscopic (FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR) characterization. The isolates produced diverse pigments such as prodigiosin, violacein, carotenoids, pyoverdine, and pyocyanin, each showing unique chemical composition for pigment production.. The findings highlighted microbial bio-colors as viable, safe, and sustainable alternatives to synthetic dyes for food applications.