Fungi can be found in almost all types of habitats. Its several thousand species are very diverse in morphological characters with plethora of secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites make some of the fungi our friend as well as foe. Many of these secondary metabolites exhibit harmful effect being mycotoxins.
3. General Characteristics of Fungi:
■ Eukaryotic
■ Decomposers – the best recyclers around
■ No chlorophyll – non photosynthetic
■ Most multicellular (hyphae) – some unicellular (yeast)
■ Non-motile
■ Cell walls made of chitin (kite-in) instead of cellulose like that of a plant
■ Are more related to animals than plant kingdom
■ Lack true roots, leaves and stems
■ Lack of chlorophyll affects the lifestyle of fungi…
■ Body of fungus made of tiny filaments or tubes called hyphae .
■ Mycelium increase the surface area of the fungi to absorb more nutrients.
4. Beneficial Use of Fungi
1.Destruction of organic waste
Saprophytic fungi decompose plant and animal
remains thereby act as natural scavengers. The carbon
dioxide release in the processes used by the green
plants.
5. 2. Soil fertility
Fungi are also useful as they maintain soil fertility by
decomposing the dead organic matter and also check
the loss of inorganic material by leaching from the
soil. Chaetomium globosum, Polyporus abietimus
help in soil nutrient recovery.
6. 3.As food
Many Fungi such as mushrooms Psalliota campestris ,Puff Balls
Lycoperdron clavatia, Morals Morchella esculenta are edible.
About 2000 species of mushrooms are of economic values in which
Agaricus campestris are cultivated most popular.
4.Manufacture of Proteins
Yeast can be e utilised as food. They contain complete protein
consisting of large number of free amino acids besides, fats,
minerals salt and vitamins. A High percentage of nutritive proteins
are obtained from
Saccharomyces cerevisiae & Candida urtilis.
7. 5.Industrial importance
Fungi are employed in the commercial preparation of many organic
acid alcohols and vitamins preparation
1. Alcohol fermentation the east secret the enzyme complex which
brings about conversion of sugar into alcohol from east itself beer
brandy rum whisky accept are prepare the moulds example Mucor
racemosus, Mucor Roxy and some species of Rhizopus and
Aspergillus flavus are used in the preparation of African native bear.
.
8. 2. Cheese industry
Certain Fungi popularly known as the cheese moulds
Aspergillus species and Penicillium species.
like Penicillium camberti penicillium: play in an
important role in the refining of cheese.
9. 3.Organic Acids
Citric acid prepared by using Molasses by Aspergillus niger,
Gluconic acid is prepared from sugar by Aspergillus oryzae,
Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum.
Gallic acid is prepared by Aspergillus gallamyces in Europe and
America .
Fumaric acid is obtained with the help of Rhizopus nigricans
Itaconic acid is obtained by Aspergillus terreus which is largely
used in the preparation of dental plastic
10. 4. Vitamins
Aspergillus and Fusarium are good source of
riboflavin which is a constituent of vitamin source for
vitamin B Complex.
5. Fat Production
Many fungi synthesise fat from carbohydrate and
promises Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus sydowi
Penicillium javanicum and Olpidium lactis have a
high fat content
11. 6. Enzymes
Fungi are good source for the production of various
enzymes
the following enzymes can be synthesized non-
commercial skin
Pectinase- Penicillium glaucum & Aspergillus Sp.
Amylase - Aspergillus oryzae
Proteases- Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus oryzae
Invertase- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
13. 8.Gibberellins hormones produced by the
fungus Gibberella fujikuroi which causes a
disease in rice gibberellin is used to accelerate
growth of several horticultural crops it has been
commonly used in germination stream along
action leave expansion flowering parthenocarpy
and fruit setting.
