Melanin: Production from Cheese Bacteria, Chemical Characterization, and Biological Activities

Ana Rita Ferraz, Rita Pacheco, Pedro D. Vaz, Cristina S. Pintado, Lia Ascensão and Maria Luisa Serralheiro
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Ana Rita Ferraz: BioISI—Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 016, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Rita Pacheco: BioISI—Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 016, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Pedro D. Vaz: Fundação Champalimaud, Av. Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Cristina S. Pintado: Escola Superior Agrária (ESA), Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco (IPCB), Quinta da Sra. de Mércoles, Apartado 119, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
Lia Ascensão: Centro para o Estudo do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Maria Luisa Serralheiro: BioISI—Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 016, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Pigments are compounds of importance to several industries, for instance, the food industry, where they can be used as additives, color intensifiers, and antioxidants. As the current trend around the world is shifting to the use of eco-friendly commodities, demand for natural dyes is increasing. Melanins are pigments that are produced by several microorganisms. Pseudomonas putida ESACB 191, isolated from goat cheese rind, was described as a brown pigment producer. This strain produces a brown pigment via the synthetic Müeller-Hinton Broth. This brown compound was extracted, purified, analyzed by FTIR and mass spectrometry, and identified as eumelanin. The maximum productivity was 1.57 mg/L/h. The bioactivity of eumelanin was evaluated as the capacity for scavenging free radicals (antioxidant activity), EC 50 74.0 ± 0.2 ?g/mL, and as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, with IC 50 575 ± 4 ?g/mL. This bacterial eumelanin did not show cytotoxicity towards A375, HeLa Kyoto, HepG2, or Caco2 cell lines. The effect of melanin on cholesterol absorption and drug interaction was evaluated in order to understand the interaction of melanin present in the cheese rind when ingested by consumers. However, it had no effect either on cholesterol absorption through an intestinal simulated barrier formed by the Caco2 cell line or with the drug ezetimibe.

Keywords: bacterial products; Pseudomonas spp.; eumelanin; antioxidant activity; acetylcholinesterase inhibition; cytotoxicity; cholesterol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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