Melanin and novel melanin precursors from Aeromonas media

Many bacteria produce reddish brown to black pigments and some of these have been characterised. This report describes the isolation and characterisation of a diffusible brown melanin-like pigment from the bacterium Aeromonas media. Physicochemical testing suggested that the pigment is a true melanin. New butanol-soluble yellow, red and brown pigments were isolated from the A. media strain under reducing conditions during melanogenesis and these pigments were shown to be unstable precursors of the polymeric brown melanin product. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.