The present research study evaluated the antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of intense red carotenoid pigment produced by novel soil isolate. A novel isolate from the rhizospheric soil of the soya-bean field was found to produce prominent red carotenoid pigment. Based on phenotype, biochemical and molecular features (16S rRNA sequencing), the isolate was identified as Rhodococcus kroppenstedtii. Maximum intense red pigment production appeared in yeast extract mannitol broth. Among the various solvents, 80% methanol was the best solvent for the extraction of pigment. The methanol extracted pigment exhibited efficient antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Phosphomolybdenum and ferric analysed the total antioxidant potential of pigment, hence, reducing antioxidant power assay and the results represented in ascorbic acid equivalent. The total antioxidant activity of pigment was investigated to be 67.0 ± 0.2 mg AA/g of sample and ferric reducing antioxidant activity was observed to be 80.2 ± 0.31 μg of ascorbic acid equivalent per milligram of the sample. Likewise, another striking applicability of the pigment was investigated and found to exhibit strong antibacterial activity against four target bacterial pathogens of health significance by in vitro techniques as well as antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Penicillin chrysogenum, Fusarium oxysporum species. In conclusion, methanolic extract of the pigment has excellent antioxidant and strong antagonistic activity; this implies the application of pigment as an antioxidant agent in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.
