MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Biotechnological production of natural pigments for textile dyeing

Summary

Scientists developed a new way to create natural pigments from a common fungus that could replace synthetic dyes in textiles. They used leftover materials from cheese and corn processing as cheap nutrients, and even used corncob as a growing surface. The resulting pigments successfully dyed cotton and linen fabrics, offering a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional chemical dyes.

Background

The textile industry relies heavily on synthetic dyes with significant environmental and health concerns, prompting the search for sustainable alternatives. Natural pigments, particularly those derived from fungi, offer biodegradable and non-toxic options. Penicillium brevicompactum has shown potential for pigment production, but high production costs remain a barrier to industrial application.

Objective

This study aimed to develop cost-efficient production methods for natural pigments using Penicillium brevicompactum by utilizing agro-industrial byproducts as culture media components and corncob as a natural immobilization support. The goal was to evaluate the pigments’ potential for textile dyeing applications.

Results

Submerged fermentation with mycelium immobilized on corncob produced the highest pigment yields, with media D achieving over 136% absorbance compared to synthetic reference medium. Culture media supplemented with agro-industrial byproducts performed comparably to synthetic media. Both cotton and linen fabrics were successfully dyed with pigment mixtures, showing significant color parameters with ΔE* values exceeding 16.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the feasibility of sustainable pigment production using agro-industrial byproducts and natural immobilization supports, providing an economically viable and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic dyes for the textile industry. The results support the circular bioeconomy approach while maintaining product quality.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMC12518282, 41098536
Scroll to Top