I would like to know whether any bacterial melanin products are available commercially How much is the cost of bacterial melanin world wide. How much is its requirement ?.
Melanin is responsible for skin color and plays an important role in protection of the skin against UV light induced damage. During the melanin biosynthesis pathway, tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) is the rate-limiting enzyme that hydroxylates L-tyrosine to L-3,4- dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), and L-DOPA is further oxidized to the corresponding o-dopaquinone. Tyrosinase is a well-known copper-containing enzyme and is widely distributed in microorganisms, plants and animals. In fungi and vertebrates, tyrosinase catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the formation of the pigment melanin from tyrosine. In plants, the physiological substrates contain a variety of phenolics. Tyrosinase oxidizes them in the browning pathway, observed when the plant tissues are injured. Tyrosinase inhibition conducted so far have used mushroom tyrosinase, because only the enzyme is commercially available.
Sir
Melanin by saying will think about how to reduce melanin.But the blackness and peculiar properties of melanin can be utilized in many ways.In that way only I think not much commercial products have been there in the market.If any one knows some.Kindly let me know.
Buy soy sauce at your local grocery store which is extremely rich in melanin.
Then buy easy to use inexpensive 0.22 um pore size sterile filters (which attach to a syringe) and sterile filter the soy sauce. The result will be sterile melanin in a salty solution with some other trace amino acids. You could dilute the solution with commercially available Sterile water or buffer and create an isotonic melanin solution that is potentially compatible with human cell culture. Let me know what you think.
Vivek
There are many products which uses melanin as an ingredient. In most cases the source of melanin may from plant or squid sources in origin.My doubt is that whether is there any products which uses bacterial melanins as their ingredient.
check this Vivek
http://www.melaninproducts.com/
http://www.chicet.com/categories/skin-care/sunscreens/melanin-sunscreen-oil-free.html.
Thanks Henry
As Soy is a good source of tyrosine .definitely soy sauce will be a good source of melanin.But frankly saying I had never thought like that before.Thanks for the new thought and information
Hi Noble,
1. As you mentioned that many products use melanin derived from plants as an ingredient: I am thinking that since plants can produce melanin, companies may prefer using them other than those isolated from bacteria. Nowadays, a lot of ingredients added to cosmetics or lotions are plant-based, and are claimed 'Natural'. Companies are proud to list these ingredients in the ingredient section of the product. It is still hard for consumers to see and accept an ingredient labeled as "Melanin (derived from bacteria)" and to happily put the bacterial-derived product on their faces.
2. I attached a recent (2014) melanin review paper for you.
Best,
Yuan
Yes,people are not aware of microbial products.still they use yeast in flour and microbes to produce curd.
Microbial melanin has a lot of advantages over plant melanins.
1.It is easier to purify.
2.It is not subjected to batch variations.
etc
I think more microbial products will be accepted in days to come :)
Noble,
Yeast, like edible mushrooms, is a fungus, which has been used for maybe thousands of years. So, they are so 'tested' and consumers are familiar with it.
But you are right, a lot of products might have been added microbes without our knowledge. Here, in some Nature and Health stores also sell some 'good' bacteria for daily drink to boost our immune system.
I agree with you on bacterial melanin is easy to purify; but, do you know what is the main reason that most products use plant- or squid-based melanin as ingredient as you stated earlier?
That is because of the unawareness of the people about microbial products only.As mushrooms,yeast they may get familiarize with bacterial melanins too.Hope so.. :)
Probably 'unawareness' is not the only reason why most of the products contain plant- or squid-based melanin as ingredient, not bacteria-based (for now). The consumers may not aware of it, but not the companies who invent these products. Companies usually have R&D (Research & Development) departments, where the hired scientists or researchers are to survey and develop a product. I believe those people have all kinds of knowledge in knowing how to produce Melanin with the most cost-effect method. 'Awareness' is not a problem for those scientists (like yourself). So, there must be other reasons for most companies to preferentially choose non-bacteria-based Melanin for product ingredient, at least for now.
But, as you said, hopefully one day bacterium-based melanin for product ingredient can catch up.
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