关键词: 真菌色素, 微生物色素, 生物染色, 染色技术, 功能性服装, 服装设计, 可持续时尚

Abstract:

Significance The textile and apparel industry is actively pursuing eco-friendly and sustainable solutions in response to growing environmental concerns. Within this context, fungal pigments present an innovative opportunity for sustainable dyeing due to their natural origins, low environmental impact, and functional versatility. These pigments can help reduce the industry's reliance on conventional synthetic dyes, which often contribute to pollution and health risks. Moreover, integrating fungal pigments into garment design aligns with current trends toward green manufacturing and circular fashion. However, comprehensive analyses linking fungal pigment development to practical garment applications are still lacking. This paper reviews recent advances in fungal pigment research and analyzes their practical use in textile and apparel dyeing, to explore environmentally responsible and economically viable solutions for contemporary fashion design.

Progress Recent years have seen notable progress in fungal pigment classification, scaled production, and dyeing techniques. Fungal pigments are categorized into water-soluble and fat-soluble types. Water-soluble pigments allow simple extraction and show environmental benefits, while fat-soluble types exhibit better color fastness and functionality. In industry, liquid-state fermentation and solid-state fermentation serve as the main production methods. Researchers improved pigment yield and stability by optimizing culture conditions, adjusting medium composition, pH, and temperature, and used genetic engineering to modify productive fungal strains. In dyeing, methods such as mordant dyeing, direct fungal biomass application, and ultrasound-assisted dyeing gained popularity. These methods enhanced dye uptake and color fastness on fibers like cotton, silk, and polyamide. Fiber surface modification also improved binding affinity, for which fiber treatments included anionic, cationic, and enzymatic pretreatments. Practical applications now cover commercial apparel, creative fashion, and protective clothing. For example, Archroma's sulfur black dye, DIRESUL EVOLUTION BLACK LIQ, reduces water use by about 73% in denim production and lowers ammonia and salt discharge. In China, companies like ZenoTech and BloomGEM launched fungal pigment-dyed cashmere and apparel, demonstrating full biodegradability. In creative design, pigments from Chlorociboria aeruginascens and myxomycetes create unique patterns on silk, offering new aesthetic options. For protective clothing, fungal pigments with antimicrobial, UV-blocking, and antioxidant properties are used in medical textiles and outdoor wear, showing their functional versatility.

Conclusion and Prospect Fungal pigment dyeing technology offers a promising direction for sustainable textiles by combining environmental benefits with functional potential. Studies show that pigments from specific fungal strains can effectively dye textile substrates and demonstrate functional properties. However, significant challenges still hinder widespread industrial adoption. These challenges include inconsistent pigment yield between batches, a limited color range, moderate color fastness compared to synthetic dyes, and high fermentation costs. To overcome these limitations, future efforts should focus on key research and application areas. Establishing standardized strain libraries and optimizing controlled fermentation protocols will improve pigment consistency and yield. Applying genetic editing tools to regulate metabolic pathways in fungi can enhance the efficiency and diversity of pigment synthesis. Developing multifunctional or stimuli-responsive pigments, such as those sensitive to temperature or pH, may expand applications into smart and high-value textiles. Advancing cost-effective production methods is also essential. This includes using agricultural waste as low-cost culture media and adopting water-saving processes like one-bath dyeing and closed-loop wastewater recycling. Furthermore, strengthening collaboration between academia and industry, along with targeted consumer education, will help increase market awareness and acceptance. Interdisciplinary integration and systematic innovation can support the evolution of fungal pigment dyeing into a driving force for sustainable transformation in the textile industry.

Key words: fungal pigment, microbial pigment, biological dyeing, dyeing technology, functional clothing, garment design, sustainable fashion