**Preface to "Fungal Pigments 2021"**

Following the previous *Journal of Fungi* (ISSN 2309-608X) "Fungal Pigments ", Special Issue edited and published in 2017, with 10 papers and the "Fungal Pigments ", printed edition of 134 pages, the time has come to publish a new edition entitled "Fungal Pigments 2021 ", which present the latest scientific advances in this field.

With the impact of globalization in research trends, the search for healthier lifestyles, the increasing public demand for natural, organic, and 'clean labelled'products, as well as the growing global market for natural colorants in economically fast-growing countries all over the world, filamentous fungi started to be investigated as readily available sources of chemically diverse pigments and colorants. For all of these reasons, this Special Issue of the *Journal of Fungi* highlight exciting findings, which may pave the way for alternative and/or additional biotechnological processes for industrial applications of fungal pigments and colorants. Research papers and reviews about fungal biodiversity from terrestrial and marine origins were welcome, bringing new elements about fungi as potential sources of well-known carotenoid pigments (e.g., beta-carotene, lycopene) and other specific pigmented polyketide molecules, such as Monascus and Monascus-like azaphilones, which are yet not known to be biosynthesized by any other organisms, like higher plants. These polyketide pigments also include promising, and unexplored hydroxy-anthraquinoid colorants from Ascomycetous species. The investigation of biosynthetic pathways of the carotenoids and polyketide-derivative-colored molecules (i.e., azaphilones, hydroxyanthraquinones, and naphthoquinones) in pigment-producing fungal species brought some articles. Contributions about alternative greener extraction processes of fungal colored compounds, along with current industrial applications, description of their limits, and further opportunities for the use of fungal pigments in beverage, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile, and painting areas are part of this Special Issue.

> **Laurent Dufoss´e** *Editor*
