The Isolation and characterisation of Chaetomium sp Biopigment production

Abstract

Filamentous ascomycetes fungi are known to produce excellent variety of colours with industrial benefits, and so the search for biopigment producing fungi. This study was aimed at isolating and identifying Chaetomium sp. for biopigment production. Different air and soil samples were collected and screened for Chaetomium sp. Selected colonies were then subjected to microscopic and macroscopic characterisation. Molecular techniques were used for confirmation of fungal identity. Reddish biopigment using Chaetomium sp. was produced through solid state fermentation and quantified with the help of a spectrophotometer. The biopigment was tested for toxicity using animal model (mice). Moreso, the potential for the use of these pigments/colours in fabric dying was carried out. The morphological and microscopic characteristics of the fungal isolate observed, indicated that it was from the genus Chaetomium sp., The rDNA ITS region containing the ITS 1 and 2 and also the intervening 5.8S rRNA gene was amplified, and the base pair size obtained was approximately 600bp. Sequencing and BLASTN confirmed the identification of the isolate A to be Chaetomium sp having a 99.9% homologous identity. The biopigment produced are considerably safe for human use as seen in the toxicity test. For potential use in the textile industry, the biopigment produced from this study, was used to dye cotton fabric successfully. Consequently Chaetomium sp. could be used for large scale biopigment production and commercialization.