Production of bacterial pigments in low cost medium and formulation of biodegradable ink

Abstract

Bacterial pigment production is an emerging field of research for its wide potential industrial applications. Prodigiosin (<i>Serratia marcescens </i> UTM1) and violacein (<i>Chromobacterium violaceum </i> UTM5) are such pigments which possess several biological properties and and have gained increasing importance in industrial markets such as drugs, cosmetics, textile dyeing, etc. The present study demonstrates the use of low cost medium for growth of locally isolated red, violet pigment producing bacteria and their application as biodegradable ink on plastic materials. The natural inks were successfully formulated using polyvinyl butyral, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, and applied on plastic materials. They were able to withstand heat up to 60°C and showed no damage to plastic material during physical contact. The hue and chroma values showed the formulated natural inks falls within the red and violet colour. The results have shown that the bacterial pigments act as natural colourants and have great potential as biodegradable inks.