Bacteria belonging to the extremely versatile genus Arthrobacter as novel source of natural pigments with extended hue range

- We review pigments produced by the extremely versatile genus Arthrobacter.
- Arthrobacter is a genus of bacteria which is expansively found in various sources.
- Bacteria belonging to the genus Arthrobacter produce pigments in a broad range of hues.
- Possibility to produce pigmented Arthrobacter sp. biomasses as novel sources of food colorants.

The genus Arthrobacter is a predominant group of bacteria isolated from various sources such as soil, air, foods (e.g. dairy products), water and plants. Species of this genus have been found in extreme environments e.g. oil, brine, mural paintings, clinical specimen, sewage and activated sludge. Most bacteria in the genus Arthrobacter produce pigments in a broad range of hues e.g. orange and yellow (riboflavin, carotenoids), blue and green (indigoidine, indochrome and derived salts), and red (porphyrins, carotenoids), pigments which are listed and reviewed in the present work. However, the purification and characterization of these pigments have not been extensively and fully investigated. Nowadays, pigment producing microorganisms have been increasingly of interest in many scientific disciplines and applications have broadened in the industry because of their biotechnological advantages. Consequently, more complete studies on pigments production by the genus Arthrobacter may be worthwhile to conduct as there is a high possibility to discover novel sources of food colorants.