ABSTRACT:
Background: Natural pigments and synthetic dyes have been extensively used in various field such as food production, textile industries etc. Prodigiosin is red pigment produced by Serratia species. Prodigiosin is a promising drug owing to its reported characteristics of having anti-microbial, immunosuppressive, anti-proliferative and anti-cancer activity. Objective: The objective of the study is to development and optimization of natural colourant from microbial pigment. Methods: The aim of the work is to formulate suitable growth conditions and interaction of carbon and nitrogen sources in medium for growth production of prodigiosin from Serratia species. Result: The maximum production A2 (units/cell) was achieved at 280C, at pH7 with the addition of 1% of carbon source (Glucose) and 0.25% of nitrogen sources (peptone)after 72 days of incubation. Conclusion: Our results indicate that we have designed an economic medium supporting enhanced Serratia marcescens A2 prodigiosin production giving an added value for crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel industry.