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UCSD Engineers Bacteria for Sustainable Camouflage Pigment Production

11/8/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), engineered bacteria to produce xanthommatin, a pigment enabling cephalopod camouflage and sustainable mass production.
Growth-coupled biosynthesis links pigment production to bacterial survival, boosting yield from milligrams to three grams per liter.
The pigment has applications in cosmetics and materials science, with potential in photoelectronics, thermal coatings, and natural sunscreens.
The study appeared in Nature Biotechnology and could advance sustainable chemistry.

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Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), engineered bacteria to produce xanthommatin, a pigment enabling cephalopod camouflage and sustainable mass production.
Growth-coupled biosynthesis links pigment production to bacterial survival, boosting yield from milligrams to three grams per liter.
The pigment has applications in cosmetics and materials science, with potential in photoelectronics, thermal coatings, and natural sunscreens.
The study appeared in Nature Biotechnology and could advance sustainable chemistry.