Isolation, identification, and production optimization of natural functional pigments produced by Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1

Xian Xia^1,2,3Li-Yu Liu^1,2,3Miao Liu^1,2,3Guo-Jun Hu^1,2,3Wen-Ting Li^1,2,3Zi-Yi Wang^1,2,3Yao Pei^1,2,3Yanhe Li⁴Jing-Jing Li^1,2,3Yan-Xiang Wang^1,2,3Xiao-Shan Shi^1,2,3*Jun-Min Tu^1,2,3*

• ¹Hubei Engineering Research Center of Special Wild Vegetables Breeding and Comprehensive Utilization Technology, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, China
• ²Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, China
• ³Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, China
• ⁴North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States

Natural microbial pigments are gaining attention for their potential in various applications due to their safety and sustainability. In this study, we isolated a highyielding pigment-producing fungus identified as Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1. The predominant pigment compounds were isolated from the culture extract of T. atroroseus LWT-1 through various chromatographic methods and identified as talaroconvolutins A (1) and B (2), and talarofuranone (3). Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF7, Huh-7, and H446 lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.68 ± 0.09 to 4.19 ± 0.71 μM. In contrast, compound 1 was non-toxic to BEAS-2B cells and significantly promoted their proliferation. To optimize pigments yield, we conducted a series of single-factor and orthogonal experiments to determine the optimal fermentation conditions. The optimal conditions were determined to be: SDA culture medium, 32 °C incubation temperature, 170 rpm shaking speed, 60 mL working volume in a 250 mL flask, and a culture duration of 120 hours.