IDENTIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION OF CAROTENOID PIGMENT PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM VEGETABLE, FRUITS AND MINI-SURVEY ON PERCEPTION OF URBAN POPULATION TOWARDS BACTERIAL PIGMENTS

Pigments are largely exploited compounds due to their chromophoric variations and enticing properties in several applications such as food, dairy, printing, textile and pharmaceutical industries etc. While synthetic pigments are widely used, toxic reactions and effects of the pigments has led to the prompt diversion of consumers towards natural pigment sources such as microbial pigments (MP). MP hold great promise against existent synthetic counterparts with additional properties such as biodegradability, non-toxicity, therapeutics (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer etc.