Pigments are involved in many aspects of human life, including food, cosmetics, and textiles. At present, the pigment market is mainly occupied by synthetic pigments. However, synthetic pigments have gradually presented safety and environmental problems. Therefore, humans have begun to focus on the use of natural pigments. In contrast to the extraction of pigments from plants and animals, the production of natural pigments by microbial fermentation is not affected by season and region. This review highlights recent advances in microbial synthesis of natural pigments, classifying them into various groups, including flavonoids, isoprenoids, porphyrins, N-heterocyclics, polyketides, and others. The biosynthetic pathways for each group are elucidated along with the latest progress made in enhancing production efficiency for both natural and non-natural microorganisms. Additionally, challenges associated with economically producing natural pigments using microorganisms are also discussed. This review provides a reference for researchers to replace synthetic pigments with natural pigments.
Keywords: metabolic engineering; microbial synthesis; natural pigments; pathway reconstruction; pigment classification.