ABSTRACT
The danger presented by some synthetic dyes makes the interest in substitution with natural pigments, especially of microbial origin, reasonable for appealing to consumers. The objective of this chapter is to report on the main microbial pigments with application in the food sector that have been patented. The patent databases LENS, WIPO, and EPO were searched for patent documents published in the last 5 years, and the USPTO base was searched for patents from 1976 to 2022 with a title and description in English. Of the total 93,771 patents, 12 described the production of pigments, mainly carotenoids and anthocyanins, by the genera Paracoccus, Lactobacillus, Salinicoccus, Rhodonellum, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Monascus, Talaromyces, and Fusarium, which showed stability, solubility, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity and negligible cytotoxicity, essential for food preservation and health. The pigments produced by Paracoccus carotinifaciens, Aspergillus cavernicola, Penicillium sp. and Monascus were added to chicken feed, skim milk, yogurt, gum, and wines, responsible for the intensification of their characteristics. The studied pigments demonstrate that the microorganisms offer the potential for the large-scale production of food additives.
