**6. Molecular Elucidation of Fungal Pigments**

*Importance of Molecular Elucidation*

Information of a compound's chemical and molecular structure is critical because it describes the conformation of a chemical structure and allows for the establishment of the forms of relations that regulate the structures. Furthermore, it enables one to comprehend how certain atoms and bonds combine to form various functional groups. All of this knowledge enables one to understand and model the physical and chemical properties of chemical structures. This knowledge, if obtained in a timely manner, would allow for the description of the pigments' stability behavior as well as the quest for better matrices to contain them, thus extending their useful life.

One of the shortcomings of the chemical characterization of pigments of microbial origins is the lack of industry reference criteria that enable adequate characterization of the compounds formed by various microorganisms. This is a field of possibility for businesses and/or laboratories interested in producing microbial pigments, as well as a critical challenge that must be completed before reaching a commercial level.

On the other hand, there are various analytical instruments available today to determine the chemical structure of compounds. These methods allow us to determine the molecular weights of molecules, the types of bonds that engage in molecular conformation, the polarity of the structures, and their functional groups etc. The selection of the approach and/or set of analytical methodologies is an essential step in the proper description of the structures. The most important analytical methodologies for elucidating the chemical structures of microbial pigments are described below.
