Penicillium brevicompactum as a novel source of natural pigments with potential for food applications

•P. brevicompactum was revealed as a novel source of pigments for the food industry.•A mixture of yellow, orange and red pigments was obtained by submerged fermentation.•Lactose is an adequate carbon source for pigments production by P. brevicompactum.•The pigments mixture is mycotoxin-free and showed a promising antioxidant activity.•High colour stability was observed for the pigments at different pH and temperature. Synthetic colorants have gradually been replaced by natural pigments, mainly in the food industry. Among the several natural sources of pigments, filamentous fungi have gained special attention. However, the eventual biosynthesis of mycotoxins is a limitation for the practical use of this kind of microorganisms as pigment producers. In this work, Penicillium brevicompactum was studied for the first time as a potential pigment producer using submerged fermentation. The effect of several experimental parameters (culture medium composition, agitation speed, type of carbon source, temperature, concentration of supplements and carbon source, natural light and initial pH) in the production of pigments was evaluated. Under the optimal conditions (culture medium I containing lactose (20 g/L) and peptone/yeast extract (8/8 g/L), 23 °C, initial pH 7.0, 150 rpm, and natural light), a mixture of pigments (yellow, orange, and red) was obtained. This mixture is mycotoxin-free (ochratoxin A and mycophenolic acid) and presented promising antioxidant activity (FRAP: 58.58 ± 4.58 μmol Fe(II)/g; DPPH IC50: 18.48 ± 0.26 μmol TE/g and ABTS IC50: 28.38 ± 3.79 μmol TE/g). Furthermore, these pigments were proved to be very stable for a wide range of pH and temperatures. Overall, it was demonstrated that P. brevicompactum can be a safe source of natural pigments with interesting properties for the food industry.