Bioprospecção de fungos com potencial para a produção de colorantes naturais.

Abstract

The use of substances to enhance or color products has been present in human life throughout history, however, synthetic substances such as artificial colors have caused various toxic effects on human health and the environment. A promising alternative is the use of natural dyes of microbial origin that have pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunosuppressive, antiviral, anticancer, cholesterol-lowering activity. The objective of this work was to reactivate the fungal isolates from the fungi culture collection obtained from a composting process, to identify the production of natural dyes by these fungi in a solid medium and to preserve the fungal isolates by the Castellani method. The obtained fungi were reactivated and the dye production was verified in four different culture media CGA (Glucose broth and agar), BDA (Dextrose and agar potato), CYA (Czapeck medium) and YES (yeast extract and sucrose). The culture medium used interfered with the color of the spores, the diffuse dye tonality and the pigment intensity produced. Several fungal isolates produced diffuse dyes in yellow, brown and some in orange. The C1I3 isolate, identified as belonging to the genus Penicillium, produced an intense red metabolite in BDA medium. This work shows that composting is a source of microorganisms with potential for production of different metabolites, such as natural dyes and that C1I3 fungus is a potential producer of dyes for industrial application.