Isolation Of Fungal Pigments And Evaluation of their Textile Dyeing Efficacy

Abstract

In the current study, endophytic fungi were screened for the production of pigments and colored compounds exploiting them as textile dyes. The potential of endophytic fungi to produce pigments was assessed by growing them on a solid medium for prolonged duration. Isolates those were capable of growing on such medium with considerable production of pigments were then raised on submerged and solid state medium. #4RSLBRT demonstrated maximum potential to produce pigments both on submerged and solid substrate. It produced red colored compound. Dyeing potential of the crude dye produced by #4RSLBRT on cotton swatches was assessed by dyeing process as per ISO standard. It gained 2 points on 5 point scale. Further various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate and purify the individual dye component and their tentative structures were deciphered through NMR and GCMS analysis. The ethyl acetate and diethyl ether fraction of the colored compound also possesses antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. #4 RSLBRT was taxonomically identified as Fusarium solani using morphotaxonomy and molecular tools Further studies on optimisation of extraction procedure as well as dyeing process would open the possibilities of using the fungal dyes at industrial scale.