**5. Industry**

Fungal melanin has found one potential application in the packaging of pork lard. Most commonly, fatty products such as lard go rancid due to the oxidation of lipids [78]. Luposiewicz et al. added fungal melanin to the gelatin coatings of pork lard and found that lard with the modified coatings tended to have lower oxidative rancidity [78]. This may be due to melanin's antioxidant properties counteracting the effect of oxygen free radicals in the environment [78].

Polylactic acid is a promising bioplastic, but its use is currently limited in food packaging applications due to its low thermal stability and solvent resistance [79]. When modified with fungal melanin, polylactic acid demonstrated improved barrier properties [79]. However, these properties decreased when too much fungal melanin was added [79].

Given its distinctive black color, microbial melanin has clear potential in industrial dyes. The study of natural dyes is growing in popularity, as they have been seen as safer and more environmentally friendly than synthetic dyes for food, textiles, and materials [80]. Researchers were recently able to dye poplar veneer using melanin secreted by *Lasiodiplodia theobromae* [81]. Beyond aesthetic effects, this dyeing of wood may be able to mimic the color of more expensive tree species while utilizing more efficient, faster-growing trees [82]. While the experiment shows that such a method is feasible, more data are needed to determine the fastness of the dye, or the material's ability to maintain its color over time [81].

Although the literature on natural fungal melanin's use in textiles is limited, investigators recently examined the ability of synthetic allomelanin to adhere to nylon-cotton fabric swatches [62]. Melanin derived from other microbial species, such as *Streptomyces spp*., has successfully dyed wool without mordanting [83]. Barriers to natural fungal melanin's widespread use in textiles may include the size of the polymer and the need for large-scale extraction mechanisms.
