Optimization of Pigment Production by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa Strain A2J2 Isolated from Soil for Promising Application in Textile and Food Industries

Torularhodin is a β-carotene -compound from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and it not only exhibits superior antioxidant properties with strong scavenging activity of peroxyl free radicals but also has other beneficial effects, including improvement of neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment and anti-cancer activity. The present study aimed to optimize culture conditions in pigment production by R. mucilaginosa for potential application in textile and food industries. The yeast was isolated from soil and identified by morphological, biochemical, and sequencing of the internal transcribed sequence (ITS) region of 18S rRNA. The pigment produced was identified andcharacterized with a UV-visible spectrophotometer and Fourier- Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The isolate was optimized with growth parameters and metals for pigment production.The isolated yeast was identified as R. mucilaginosa strain A2J2. The isolate produced different shades of pigment with various λmax in the presence of 4 μg/mL of K2Cr2O7, HgCl2, KCN, and PbCl2, with incubation temperature of 25°C, and pH 7.0 for 4 days. The results from this study revealed the feasibility of sustainable production of different shades of pigment from torularhodinproducingR. mucilaginosa strain A2J2, which could be promising used in textile industries as tie and dye and in food industries as an additive.