The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review

The world has recently witnessed the dire consequences of microbial infections in the form of the spread of COVID 19. Like viruses, bacterial infections too are a serious global health concern, especially because of the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial populations. MDR bacteria are a...

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Main Author: Shipra Gupta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Colorants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6447/4/2/16
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author Shipra Gupta
author_facet Shipra Gupta
author_sort Shipra Gupta
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description The world has recently witnessed the dire consequences of microbial infections in the form of the spread of COVID 19. Like viruses, bacterial infections too are a serious global health concern, especially because of the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial populations. MDR bacteria are a result of the mindless use and misuse of antibiotics all over the world. Hence, there arises a need to find alternative strategies to effectively combat bacterial infections; all the more so for MDR bacterial infections. A lot of research has been conducted to find alternative antibacterial strategies such as phage therapy, the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides, the development of CRISPR-Cas systems, the incorporation of pro- and pre-biotics into our food or as supplements, and the development of bactericidal nanotechnology and antibacterial materials. Of these many strategies, this review focusses on the last one—the development of antibacterial materials. This article explores the potential of plant-derived natural colorants to serve as effective antibiotic materials to be used in various industries ranging from food, textile, paper, and leather to the pharmaceutical industry. Some major advantages of developing plant-derived natural colorants into antibacterial materials is that many of them possess inherent medicinal properties, they are biocompatible, non-toxic for humans, and biodegradable, and hence environment friendly. Many plant-derived natural colorants, like curcumin, indigo, lawsone, emodin, etc., have already been well studied for their antimicrobial properties. This review article aims at integrating some relevant studies to offer a cohesive overview of the current state of knowledge on the antibacterial properties of plant-derived natural colorants.
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spelling doaj-art-fe2d80ca79944b7e89a849aa3c80e1082025-08-20T02:24:34ZengMDPI AGColorants2079-64472025-05-01421610.3390/colorants4020016The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A ReviewShipra Gupta0Department of Chemistry and Geosciences, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698, USAThe world has recently witnessed the dire consequences of microbial infections in the form of the spread of COVID 19. Like viruses, bacterial infections too are a serious global health concern, especially because of the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial populations. MDR bacteria are a result of the mindless use and misuse of antibiotics all over the world. Hence, there arises a need to find alternative strategies to effectively combat bacterial infections; all the more so for MDR bacterial infections. A lot of research has been conducted to find alternative antibacterial strategies such as phage therapy, the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides, the development of CRISPR-Cas systems, the incorporation of pro- and pre-biotics into our food or as supplements, and the development of bactericidal nanotechnology and antibacterial materials. Of these many strategies, this review focusses on the last one—the development of antibacterial materials. This article explores the potential of plant-derived natural colorants to serve as effective antibiotic materials to be used in various industries ranging from food, textile, paper, and leather to the pharmaceutical industry. Some major advantages of developing plant-derived natural colorants into antibacterial materials is that many of them possess inherent medicinal properties, they are biocompatible, non-toxic for humans, and biodegradable, and hence environment friendly. Many plant-derived natural colorants, like curcumin, indigo, lawsone, emodin, etc., have already been well studied for their antimicrobial properties. This review article aims at integrating some relevant studies to offer a cohesive overview of the current state of knowledge on the antibacterial properties of plant-derived natural colorants.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6447/4/2/16natural colorantsplant derivedantibacterial materialscarotenoidsflavonoidscurcumin
spellingShingle Shipra Gupta
The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
Colorants
natural colorants
plant derived
antibacterial materials
carotenoids
flavonoids
curcumin
title The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
title_full The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
title_fullStr The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
title_full_unstemmed The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
title_short The Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Colorants: A Review
title_sort antibacterial properties of plant derived natural colorants a review
topic natural colorants
plant derived
antibacterial materials
carotenoids
flavonoids
curcumin
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6447/4/2/16
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