Extraction, Isolation and Chemical Characterization of Pigments from Penicillium Species

Abstract

Penicillium species produce a wide range of biotechnologically important pigments, majority of which belong to aromatic polyketide group of compounds. By providing with suitable culture media conditions and incubation time, pigments are produced extracellularly and intracellularly. The pigments are extracted according to their mode of synthesis by the fungus via organic solvents accompanied with mechanical techniques such as centrifugation or agitation. The extracted pigments are isolated via chromatographic techniques—Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography—HPLC. As the pigments are of high biotechnological importance because they have the potential to be utilized in industries like textile, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals; it is necessary they are chemically characterized before declaring their use. The isolated pigments are characterized through spectroscopic techniques like NMR—Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, LC-MS—Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, FTIR—Fourier Transform Infrared and UV-Vis—Ultraviolet Visible spectroscopy. This article focuses on the pigments produced by penicillium species: their fermentation conditions, extraction—extracellular and intracellular, isolation or purification, chemical characterization and biotechnological applications.