SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: PRODUCTION OF NATURAL RED COLORANT BY Penicillium chrysogenum IN A BIORREACTOR

• Grant number: 24/16477-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Valéria de Carvalho Santos Ebinuma
• Grantee: Júlio Gabriel Oliveira de Lima
• 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

Abstract

Color is a crucial factor in consumer product choices, including food, which often contains colorants to enhance its appearance and acceptability. While many colorants used in the food industry are synthetic, there are growing concerns about their adverse health effects. This has led to the search for natural alternatives, which also offer benefits to the pharmaceutical industry. Natural colorants, derived from plants, animals, and microorganisms, are not only safe but also have health-promoting properties. Among them are azaphilones, carotenoids, and flavonoids, which, in addition to providing a wide range of colors like yellow, orange, red, blue, and purple, exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. These properties are extremely valuable for the development of medicines and dietary supplements. Azaphilones, a class of natural colorants derived from fungi, have garnered significant attention. Traditionally produced by fungi of the Monascus genus, used for millennia in Southeast Asia as natural colorants and preservatives, azaphilones have also been employed in traditional medicine as digestive aids and pain relievers. More recently, it has been discovered that genera such as Talaromyces and Penicillium can produce similar natural colorants. These findings expand the possibilities of producing natural colorants through biotechnological methods. The production of microbial colorants offers notable advantages, such as the ability to use low-cost substrates and the feasibility of large-scale production in bioreactors. Optimizing cultivation conditions can lead to shorter production cycles and higher yields, even using agro-industrial waste as a substrate. This is particularly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, where sustainable and cost-effective production of active ingredients is a priority. However, a significant challenge is that some fungal strains also produce mycotoxins, toxic compounds that limit their commercial use. Regulatory safety authorities strictly monitor mycotoxin production, requiring cytotoxicity studies to ensure the safety of the produced colorants. Fungi such as Penicillium, Eurotium, and Fusarium are among the main producers of mycotoxins. To overcome these challenges, research continues to explore and develop fungal strains that do not produce mycotoxins, enabling the safe production of natural colorants. The molecular characterization of the colorants, the evaluation of their stability, and the optimization of purification processes are essential to ensure the quality and safety of the products. This project aims to produce a natural red colorant using the microorganism Penicillium chrysogenum in a stirred-tank bioreactor, optimizing cultivation conditions. The predominant molecule will be characterized, and its cellular and environmental cytotoxicity will be studied. The goal is to develop an efficient and safe process for the production of natural colorants that can be used in pharmaceutical applications, meeting the demand for healthier and more sustainable products. (AU)