Identification of Bacteria Producing Red Pigments and Their Application in the Textile Industry

In this study, bacterial strains previously isolated and maintained in a culture collection were evaluated for their pigment production capabilities. The pigments produced by the bacteria were using the methanol extraction method and characterized by thin-layer chromatography, UV–Vis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, the potential use of these pigments as textile dyes in silk fabrics was investigated. Four of the 270 isolates screened (AS-54, AS-55, AS-67, and AS-75) showed superior pigment production. These isolates were further identified using both classical and molecular methods. Based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene region, AS-54, AS-55, and AS-67 were identified as Serratia plymuthica and, AS-75 as Serratia marcescens. Characterization results showed that the pigments exhibited a red coloration, indicating prodigiosin. The dyeing of silk fabrics with these pigments resulted in various shades of pink, highlighting their potential as textile dyes. These results suggest that pigments derived from these bacterial isolates hold great promise for applications in the textile industry.