**1. Introduction**

Due to the global increase in processed food production, the market for fresh food is predicted to grow more in coming years. Modern consumers have become more nutrition and health conscious and have a growing interest in *(i)* where their food comes from and *(ii)* in food additives [1]. Food labeling has increased interest in understanding the physiological needs of the body. Consumers tend to shy away from chemical compounds such as food additives, viz., antioxidants, preservatives and colors. They search for natural additives in natural foods that are safe and good for them. On the other hand, consumers have a growing awareness of natural products where toxicants may also be present [2].

Historically, throughout the world, natural pigments have been used for many purposes. The advent of synthetic dyes reduced the use of natural pigments to a greater extent. Recently, dyes derived from natural sources are gaining importance, since some synthetic dyes have been reported to have carcinogenic effects [3,4]. Natural pigments gained interest due to worldwide concern over the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials. Demand for natural colorants, especially yellow and red pigments, israpidly increasing worldwide. Production of safe and natural pigments from natural resources are mainly being focused on in food, textile and pharmaceutical industries, due to the serious environmental and safety problems caused by many artificial synthetic pigments [5].

Many natural pigments are from plant or microorganism-based origins. There are a number of major drawbacks to plant pigments, viz., non-availability throughout the year, pigment stability and solubility. Exploitation of plants on a large scale may lead to a loss of valuable species. For these reasons, the pigments from plant sources are not considered viable. Microorganisms, viz., fungi, bacteria, algae and actinomycetes, are a reliable and readily available alternative source of natural pigments [6,7]. Microorganisms are advanta-

**Citation:** Poorniammal, R.; Prabhu, S.; Dufossé, L.; Kannan, J. Safety Evaluation of Fungal Pigments for Food Applications. *J. Fungi* **2021**, *7*, 692. https://doi.org/10.3390/ jof7090692

Academic Editor: David S. Perlin

Received: 16 June 2021 Accepted: 23 August 2021 Published: 26 August 2021

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geous over plant for pigments production because of easy and rapid multiplication in a low cost medium, easy processing and growth independent from weather conditions [8].
