Microorganisms and microalgae as sources of pigments for food use: A scientific oddity or an industrial reality?

Laurent Dufossé, Patrick Galaup, Anina Yaron, Shoshana Malis Arad, Philippe Blanc, Kotamballi N.Chidambara Murthy, Gokare A. Ravishankar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

546 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pigments producing microorganisms and microalgae are quite common in Nature. However, there is a long way from the Petri dish to the market place. Five productions, using Monascus, Penicillium, Dunaliella, Haematococcus and Porphyridium, are discussed. Some companies invested a lot of money as any combination of new source and/or new pigment drives a lot of experimental work, process optimization, toxicological studies and regulatory issues. Time will tell whether investments were cost-effective. Future trends involve combinatorial engineering and production of niche pigments not found in plants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)389-406
Number of pages18
JournalTrends in Food Science and Technology
Volume16
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Food Science

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