2.3 Screening for colorant production
To identify which fungi isolated from the soil had the potential for extracellular colorant production, a visual evaluation of the colorants produced by the fungi in the culture medium was carried out. The fungus strains were transferred to tubes containing Czapeck-Dox-agar and incubated at room temperature for 14 days. After colony growth, the colorants present in the culture medium and soluble in ethyl acetate were observed. This solvent was transferred to tubes and shaken for 30 seconds in a tube shaker and maintained at room temperature for 30 min. Afterwards, the solvent was removed and the presence of color in the solvent was evaluated [15]. The eight fungal strains that showed the most intense colorants were submitted to a submerged bioprocess.