Dear Colleagues,

The biosynthesis of dyes and pigments for food and textile applications has attracted increased interest in recent years. Nature produces many bio-dyes from a variety of resources, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, which are possible alternatives to currently used synthetic dyes and pigments, and which are almost exclusively made from non-renewable resources such as fossil oil. Practically, the fermentation of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria could be a valuable source for the production of dyes and pigments. Microorganisms produce a wide variety of these compounds, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, quinones, and rubramines, and fermentation has higher pigment yields and lower residues compared to the use of plants and animals. Thus, the biosynthesis of dyes and pigments via fermentation processes has attracted increased attention in recent years. Technically speaking, biosynthesized pigments can serve as major chromophores for further chemical modifications, which could lead to dyes with a broad color spectrum. Furthermore, some natural dyes and pigments have shown remarkable antibacterial activity in addition to providing vivid colors, which could serve as functional dyes in the production of colored antimicrobial textiles and surfaces.

In view of the above potential and developments, the journal Fermentation is inviting authors to submit unpublished original contributions, critical review articles, and short communications for consideration in the Special Issue “Production and Purification of Microbial Dyes and Pigments”. The topics covered in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

• Identification of microorganisms producing dyes and pigments;
• Microbial transformations for the biosynthesis of dyes and pigments;
• Upstream and downstream processes for the microbial production of dyes and pigments (fermentation, extraction, purification, drying, etc.);
• Applications of microbial dyes and pigments.

Dr. Mohamed Koubaa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microbial dyes and pigments
• fermentation
• low-cost substrate transformation
• extraction
• purification