Bio-pigments as antibacterial, anti-tumor, antioxidant and pharmaceutical substances

Background and Aim : Synthetic colors have been widely used in various industries including food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic. Accordingly many synthetic colorants have been banned or being banned due to their carcinogenicity and other toxicological problems. However toxicity problems caused by synthetic pigments have triggered intense researches in natural colors and dyes.Methods : in this study, we searched for articles in google scholar, science direct databases using keywords such as: Bio- pigments, natural colorants, pharmacological, antibacterial and antioxidant. Results : Among the natural sources, pigment produced by microorganisms hold a promising potential to meet current challenges. Natural colorants or dyes derived from microorganisms, flora and fauna are believed to be safe because of being non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and biodegradable in nature. On the other hand, currently, people interpret the content of synthetic products as contaminants and the tendency has been to products and natural pigment to cause pharmacological properties, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-tumor, antiviral and antioxidant activity reinforced. The number of advantages of using natural pigments over synthetic colorants has further boosted.Conclusion : Natural pigments not only have the capacity to increase the marketability of products, but also display advantageous biological activities as antioxidants and anticancer attributes. Therefore, it is essential to explore further natural sources of colorants and their applications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bio- pigments ، Natural colorants ، Pharmacological ، Antibacterial ، Antioxidant