*2.4. E*ff*ect of Fermentation Strategy and Incubation Period*

After the optimum pulp type was determined, the effect of fermentation strategy (solid-state and submerged-state) and incubation period (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 d) were investigated for pigment production capacities of fungus. For this purpose, 5 g of pulp (particle size < 1.4 mm) was transferred into Erlenmeyer flasks (250 mL). All flasks were sterilized at 121 ◦C for 20 min and cooled to room temperature. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was carried out by adding sterilized distilled water to these flasks in order to obtain an initial moisture of 50%. For submerged-state fermentation (SmF), 50 mL of sterilized distilled water was added to flasks to reach the final working volume. Then, each flask was inoculated with 1 mL spore suspension of *A. carbonarius*. The flasks were incubated in a shaking incubator at 100 rpm and 25 ± 1 ◦C for SmF and in a static incubator at 25 ± 1 ◦C for SSF for 15 d. During the incubation period, the contents of flasks were harvested every 3 d and dried at 60 ± 1 ◦C for 24 h. Dried masses were utilized for pigment extraction and analysis (Figure S2B).
