Isolation, identification, and production optimization of natural functional pigments produced by Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1

Natural microbial pigments are gaining attention for their potential in various applications due to their safety and sustainability. In this study, we isolated a high-yielding pigment-producing fungus identified as <i>Talaromyces atroroseus</i> LWT-1. The predominant pigment compounds were isolated from the culture extract of <i>T. atroroseus</i> LWT-1 through various chromatographic methods and identified as talaroconvolutins A (<b>1</b>) and B (<b>2</b>), and talarofuranone (<b>3</b>). Compounds <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF7, Huh-7, and H446 lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.68 ± 0.09 to 4.19 ± 0.71 μM. In contrast, compound <b>1</b> was non-toxic to BEAS-2B cells and significantly promoted their proliferation. To optimize pigments yield, we conducted a series of single-factor and orthogonal experiments to determine the optimal fermentation conditions. The optimal conditions were determined to be: SDA culture medium, 32°C incubation temperature, 170 rpm shaking speed, 60 mL working volume in a 250 mL flask, and a culture duration of 120 h.