Current perspective of yellowish-orange pigments from microorganisms- a review

Natural yellowish-orange pigments are derived from bacteria, yeasts, fungi and microalgae, including Chryseobacterium, Monascus and Chlorella. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of these pigments in various aspects towards exploiting them for numerous functions. These pigments are produced in various shades of yellow-orange and categorised as carotenoids, anthraquinones, zeaxanthin, flexirubin and other compounds. They served as alternative colourants to replace hazardous and toxic synthetic pigments. Researchers are in progress to increase the pigment yield by improving the strains genetically, optimising the fermentation process and utilising cheap agro-industrial waste to reduce the production cost. Yellowish-orange pigments are applied in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and textile industries. This review summarises the current technology status and challenges, economics, biosynthesis of pigment, novel strategies for production of yellowish-orange pigments, biological properties of pigments and metabolic engineering of microorganism with a focus on applications of pigments in food, pharmaceutical, dyeing industries as well as on other applications