Colours are one of the significant visual properties of food and
colouring of foods has been an age old practice. This practice has
amplified many folds with the invention of synthetic colourants
principally due to their physical properties of good stability and
colouring ability (Pattnaik et al., 1997). Despite the fact that the
commercial market is ruled by the synthetic, even among the
permitted synthetic pigments, some of them may be toxic,
carcinogenic or may cause severe damage to vital organs (Duran et
al., 2002). Because of this, a strong interest in natural colouring
alternatives is needed. As compared to other available synthetic
pigments, natural pigments from microbial sources are potentially
good alternative ones.