Prodigiosin as a sustainable dye: Investigating its antimicrobial properties for textile applications

Background: Bacterial pigments provide an eco-friendly substitute for synthetic colours, contributing to the reduction of pollution. The present research aims to extract prodigiosin from Serratia marcescens and access its antimicrobial property for textile applications. The pigment production parameters were optimized to provide better yield and its antimicrobial effectiveness and toxicity were evaluated. Isolated the organism from paddy soil by conventional method by gram staining, biochemical test, and carbohydrate fermentation test to be Serratia. The 16S rRNA sequencing also identified the species Serratia. Here, the pigment prodigiosin was synthesized with the help of Serratia marcescens, after which extraction was done with the help of centrifugation, and it showed a peak to be prodigiosin at high-performance liquid chromatography. It was achieved with a carbon source of lactose at an optimized condition of pH 7.0, temperature at 28°C, and a yield of 0.87 mg/ml. With gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the bioactive compounds in the pigment were identified and characterized. The toxic nature of the pigment prodigiosin to the model organism earthworms was evaluated and found to cause no mortality. Indeed, significant harm was caused by synthetic dyes. The pigment was also used to dye various types of fabrics, including cotton, chiffon, satin, and polyester, with antimicrobial efficacy resulting in a 95% reduction in E. coli and a 97% reduction in S. aureus growth. Furthermore, to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by dyeing industries, natural dyes with antimicrobial properties could be used.