What are melanins?
Melanins are dark, generally black, biological macro-molecules composed of various types of phenolic or indolic
monomer, usually complexed with protein, and often with
carbohydrates as well. Melanins are produced by microbes,
animals, protozoans, and plants. While the types of mono-mers can vary from organism to organism, and the structure
of intact melanin polymers is little understood, biological
substances have historically been classified as melanins
largely on the basis of some generally recognized physical
and chemical properties (Nicolaus et al. 1964).