Microbial Melanin: Renewable Feedstock and Emerging Applications in Food-Related Systems

Erminta Tsouko, Eirini Tolia and Dimitris Sarris ()
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Erminta Tsouko: Laboratory of Physico-Chemical & Biotechnological Valorization of Food By-Products, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Leoforos Dimokratias 66, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos, Greece
Eirini Tolia: Laboratory of Physico-Chemical & Biotechnological Valorization of Food By-Products, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Leoforos Dimokratias 66, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos, Greece
Dimitris Sarris: Laboratory of Physico-Chemical & Biotechnological Valorization of Food By-Products, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Leoforos Dimokratias 66, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Melanin is among the most important natural pigments produced by various organisms, from microbes to plants and mammals. Melanins possess great properties such as radioprotective and antioxidant activity, heavy metal chelation and absorption of organic compounds. The biosynthesis of melanin through the DOPA metabolic pathway and/or the DHN pathway mainly involves the tyrosinase and laccase enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of phenolic and indolic substrates to form melanin classes, namely eumelanin, pheomelanin, allomelanins and pyomelanin. The cost-efficient production of melanin at a large scale, with a chemically specified composition, constitutes a major technical challenge. Alternative production routes including highly efficient microbial stains cultivated on renewable resources could sustain and up-scale melanin production capacity. The strategy of valorizing low-cost and abundant agro-industrial waste and byproduct streams complies with concepts of sustainable development and circular economy, thus eliminating the environmental footprint. Genetic engineering tools could substantially contribute to enhancing melanogenesis in natural producers via target gene overexpression and the recombination of novel strains. The production of biobased films for food packaging applications reinforced with melanin nanoparticles constitutes a market segment of high interest due to environmental and societal concerns around the end-of-life management of conventional plastics, gradual depletion of fossil resources, sustainability issues and high performance.

Keywords: eumelanin; pheomelanin; allomelanins; pyomelanin; neuromelanin; food packaging; agro-industrial waste; overexpression; fermentation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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