Get complete information on the Fungi: Useful Activities

(1) As Food Morchella, Agaricus and Lycoperdon are most common edible fungi often cooked with rice and vegetables. Yeast cells are good source of various vitamins. Vitamin ‘B’ is obtained from fresh yeast cells. Some yeasts like Torulopsis utilis are rich in proteins.

(2) In Industry (a) In Cheese Production:

A few species of Pencillium like P. comemberti and P. roquefoti are used in ripening of cheese and also help in imparting them a characteristic flavour. These varieties of cheese are delicious are highly valued.

(b) In baking Industry:

Some yeast like Saccharomyces cervevisiae are very useful to bakers in manufacture of bread.

(c) In Alcohol Industry:

Yeast is used in fermentation of carbohydrates to produce alcohol on commercial scale by its enzymatic activity as follows:

(d) In Manufacture of Acid, Enzymes and Fats

(i) Gallic acid: By Pencillium glauccum and Aspergillus gallomyces

(ii) Citric acid: By Citromyces pfefferiaur a mucor

(iii) Gluconic acid: Aspergillus niger

(iv) Amylase: By Aspergillus aryzae

(v) Invertase: By Saccharomyces cerevisiae

(vi) Fats: By Aspergillus nidulans, A. fisheri, Penicillium piscarum, P. javanicus

(3) Soil Fertility:

Saprophyte fungi disintegrate the decaying organic matter and thus help in release of minerals which can be again absorbed by plants.

(4) As medicines:

Several fungi are good sources of antibiotics, drugs, which inhibit the growth of microorganisms.

Some important antibiotics produced from fungi are given below:

Name of Medicine – Name of Fungi

Penicillin – Penicillium notatum

Penicillin – Penicillium chrysogessum

Ergot – Claviceps purpurea

Chaetomin – Chacfomian coenoides

Griseofulvin – P. griseofulvum

(5) In nutrition of plants:

Several fungal members associate themselves with the surface of roots, forming micorrhizae which is important for nutrition of certain- trees like Pinus, Zamia etc.

(6) Control of insect-pests:

Several fungi like Aschesosonia aleyroides, Isoria ferinosa, Empusa spulcharoies help in controlling the infection of insects on plants.

(7) In Manufacture of Phytohormones:

Gibberellins which help in promoting growth of the plants are synthesized from a fungus named Fusarium moniliforme.

(8) In Biological Research:

Several fungi like Neurospora, yeast, Ascobolus have been used for a long time, in research (genetics, cytology and metabolism).

(9) As test organisms:

Some strains of Aspergillus niger are highly sensitive to some trace elements. They can detect trace elements like Cu, Zn and Mo even if they are present in very small quantity in the substrate. These elements when taken up by the fungus may give a particular colour to the conidia.