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Characterization, components, and chemical structure of a novel natural pigments derived from Streptomyces tauricus

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Abstract

Microbial pigments have extensive applications in the food, cosmetic, and biopharmaceutical industries. In this study, a pigment-rich actinomycete identified as Streptomyces tauricus was isolated from soil, and the solubility and stability of its were investigated. The pigment was separated and purified through thin-layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine its components. The chemical structure of the pigment was characterized through infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Additionally, the antioxidant properties and safety profile of the pigment were assessed. The S. tauricus pigment was bright, vivid brownish-red, intracellular, and fat-soluble; it exhibited considerable photothermal stability and maintained its color below pH 7. The presence of Cu2+, Fe2+, and Fe3+ ions markedly influenced the pigment’s characteristics. The pigment comprised primarily purple and orange components. The purple component, which is relatively rare in microbial sources, was subjected to detailed study. The core structure of the purple component was identified as methylbenzanthracene dione, which has high antioxidant activity and no toxicity in brine shrimp assays. Due to its resilience to high temperatures and acidic environments, coupled with its bioactivity and lack of toxicity, this pigment may serve as a promising candidate for various industrial and food applications.

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The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the Analytical Testing Center of Hefei Normal University and the Molecular Sequencing Center of Shanghai Bioengineering Corporation for support with chemical structure analysis and molecular sequencing.

Funding

This study were funded by the Project of Natural Science Foundation of Higher Education of Anhui Province (2023AH051295); Blueberry Engineering Technology Research Center of Anhui; Green Food Rural Revitalization Collaborative Technology Service Center of Anhui (GXXT-2022–078); College student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program in Anhui Province (S202314098184).

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  1. College of Biology and Food Engineering, Hefei Normal University, Hefei, 230061, China

    Minghui Zhou, Min Han, Jiaxue Qing & Min Yu

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  1. Minghui Zhou
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MZ: investigation, conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing-original draft preparation, supervision, funding acquisition. HM, JQ, MY: sample collection, investigation, methodology.

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Correspondence to Minghui Zhou.

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Zhou, M., Han, M., Qing, J. et al. Characterization, components, and chemical structure of a novel natural pigments derived from Streptomyces tauricus. Eur Food Res Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-024-04575-z

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