The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review
Synthetic dyes are generally not safe for human health or the environment, leading to the continuous search and growing demand for natural pigments that are considered safer, biodegrade more easily, and are environmentally beneficial. Among micro-organisms, fungi represent an emerging source of pigm...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/9/891 |
| _version_ | 1797579319389716480 |
|---|---|
| author | Malika Suthar Laurent Dufossé Sanjay K. Singh |
| author_facet | Malika Suthar Laurent Dufossé Sanjay K. Singh |
| author_sort | Malika Suthar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Synthetic dyes are generally not safe for human health or the environment, leading to the continuous search and growing demand for natural pigments that are considered safer, biodegrade more easily, and are environmentally beneficial. Among micro-organisms, fungi represent an emerging source of pigments due to their many benefits; therefore, they are readily viable on an industrial scale. Among all the bioactive pigments produced by fungi, melanin is an enigmatic, multifunctional pigment that has been studied for more than 150 years. This dark pigment, which is produced via the oxidative polymerization of phenolic compounds, has been investigated for its potential to protect life from all kingdoms, including fungi, from biotic and abiotic stresses. Over time, the research on fungal melanin has attracted a significant amount of scientific interest due to melanin’s distinct biological activities and multifarious functionality, which is well-documented in the literature and could possibly be utilized. This review surveys the literature and summarizes the current discourse, presenting an up-to-date account of the research performed on fungal melanin that encompasses its types, the factors influencing its bioactivity, the optimization of fermentation conditions to enhance its sustainable production, its biosynthetic pathways, and its extraction, as well as biochemical characterization techniques and the potential uses of melanin in a wide range of applications in various industries. A massive scope of work remains to circumvent the obstacles to obtaining melanin from fungi and exploring its future prospects in a diverse range of applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:35:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2c979b38c9b4103b5dce4d66c2f03ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:35:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2c979b38c9b4103b5dce4d66c2f03ee2023-11-19T11:28:44ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2023-08-019989110.3390/jof9090891The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive ReviewMalika Suthar0Laurent Dufossé1Sanjay K. Singh2National Fungal Culture Collection of India, Biodiversity and Palaeobiology Group, MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune 411004, IndiaLaboratoire de Chimie et Biotechnologie des Produits Naturels (ChemBioPro), ESIROI Agroalimentaire, Université de La Réunion, F-97400 Saint-Denis, FranceNational Fungal Culture Collection of India, Biodiversity and Palaeobiology Group, MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune 411004, IndiaSynthetic dyes are generally not safe for human health or the environment, leading to the continuous search and growing demand for natural pigments that are considered safer, biodegrade more easily, and are environmentally beneficial. Among micro-organisms, fungi represent an emerging source of pigments due to their many benefits; therefore, they are readily viable on an industrial scale. Among all the bioactive pigments produced by fungi, melanin is an enigmatic, multifunctional pigment that has been studied for more than 150 years. This dark pigment, which is produced via the oxidative polymerization of phenolic compounds, has been investigated for its potential to protect life from all kingdoms, including fungi, from biotic and abiotic stresses. Over time, the research on fungal melanin has attracted a significant amount of scientific interest due to melanin’s distinct biological activities and multifarious functionality, which is well-documented in the literature and could possibly be utilized. This review surveys the literature and summarizes the current discourse, presenting an up-to-date account of the research performed on fungal melanin that encompasses its types, the factors influencing its bioactivity, the optimization of fermentation conditions to enhance its sustainable production, its biosynthetic pathways, and its extraction, as well as biochemical characterization techniques and the potential uses of melanin in a wide range of applications in various industries. A massive scope of work remains to circumvent the obstacles to obtaining melanin from fungi and exploring its future prospects in a diverse range of applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/9/891melaninbioactive pigmentbiotechnological potentialfungi |
| spellingShingle | Malika Suthar Laurent Dufossé Sanjay K. Singh The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review Journal of Fungi melanin bioactive pigment biotechnological potential fungi |
| title | The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full | The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_fullStr | The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_short | The Enigmatic World of Fungal Melanin: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_sort | enigmatic world of fungal melanin a comprehensive review |
| topic | melanin bioactive pigment biotechnological potential fungi |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/9/891 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT malikasuthar theenigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview AT laurentdufosse theenigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview AT sanjayksingh theenigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview AT malikasuthar enigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview AT laurentdufosse enigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview AT sanjayksingh enigmaticworldoffungalmelaninacomprehensivereview |