Extrcation of blue pigment indigoidine from Streptomyces lavendulae biomass

• Grant number: 23/10165-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: November 01, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Valéria de Carvalho Santos Ebinuma
• Grantee: Eduarda Haddad Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06686-8 - Biotechnological process for the development of natural colorants from microbial sources for industrial application: phase II, AP.BIOEN.JP2
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/19430-0 - SOLID-LIQUID AND ULTRASOUND ASSISTED EXTRACTION OF INDIGOIDINE FROM Bacillus subtilis, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Among the enormous diversity of colorants and their colors, few natural blue colorants are found in nature, mainly of microbial origin like Indigoidin. Synthesized from the amino acid L-glutamine during the metabolism of certain bacterial genera, such as strains of Streptomyces, especially S. lavendulae, this colorant can exhibit antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, making it an alternative to indigo, a synthetic dye widely used in textile, food, and cosmetic industries. Moreover, pollution and the production disadvantages of indigo have increased interest in Indigoidin for research and manufacturing, aiming to introduce an environmentally friendly and biotechnological dye.However, the production of this biomolecule is intracellular, and certain operations are required to disrupt the cell and reach the target molecule. Therefore, the synthesis and extraction of Indigoidin have become the focus of study to understand which mechanisms and solvents best facilitate its obtaining in a nature-friendly and less laborious manner compared to methods already known in the literature. The standard extraction is carried out through a sequence of double washings of the pellet, using distilled water, methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane, respectively, with vortex and centrifugation steps. Up to 5 washes with dimethyl sulfoxide are performed to extract the blue coloration. However, this technique is difficult to scale up and employs unsustainable organic solvents.Thus, the objective of this project is to investigate and develop a faster and more sustainable process for obtaining Indigoidin from the biomass of S. lavendulae through solid-liquid extraction with different organic solvents and physical methods.