Economic Importance of Fungi

Economic Importance of Fungi

• Fungi encompasses hundreds of species that hold significant economic value for humans.
• Human lives are closely linked with fungi, experiencing their direct or indirect benefits or detriments daily.

Fungi in Food and Agriculture

• Fungi have been recognized for their nutritional value throughout history.
• Fungi consumed as food: morels, mushrooms, truffles, puffballs, and non-woody polypores.
• Morels are members of Ascomycetes, commonly known as Guchchhi in northern India.
• Truffles are ectomycorrhizal fungi, associated with roots of higher plants known as Tubers and Salboda in Chhattisgarh.
• Puffballs are large, white, edible fungi at a young stage.
• Mushrooms, the fruit bodies of Basidiomycetes fungi, exist both naturally and cultivated, including button mushrooms (Agaricus spp.), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.), and paddy straw mushrooms (Volvariella spp.).
• Certain cultivated yeasts and mycelial fungi undergo extensive processing to create protein-rich food for humans or livestock, an example being Quorn™ mycoprotein, commercially produced from the mycelial fungus Fusarium venanatum.
• Mycorrhizas exhibit a symbiotic relationship with the roots of higher plants.
• Fungi can act as biocontrol agents to manage insect and nematode pests, weeds, and pathogenic microorganisms.
• Beauvaria bassiana is a fungus used to control insect pests.
• Fungi function as primary decomposers in ecosystems, releasing enzymes that convert essential elements into new materials, enriching soil fertility.
• Specific fungi assist in preventing the leaching of inorganic substances from the soil.
• Some yeasts, like Saccharomyces and Rhodotorula, are identified as non-nitrogen fixers.

Fungi in Medicine

• Specific fungi generate substances that aid in treating diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, known as antibiotics.
• Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was extracted from Penicillium notatum and has shown superior effectiveness compared to typical drugs and germicides
• Claviceps purpurea creates ergot sclerotia with a combination of alkaloids used in veterinary and human medicine.
• Lysergic acid (LSD), a derivative of ergot, has applications in experimental psychiatry.
• Some Rhizopus and Aspergillus species are used as sources of valuable steroids.
• Ephedrine if derived from yeast, which is widely used in asthma related diseases.
• Clavatia, a giant puffball, possesses the anti-cancer compound clavacin, utilized for preventing stomach tumors.
• Leptolegnia caudate and Aphanomyces laevis fungi can trap mosquito larvae, aiding in malaria control.

Fungi in Industry

• Alcoholic fermentation relies on the fermentation of sugar solutions by fungal species, producing ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
• Yeasts release the enzyme complex zymase, catalyzing the conversion of sugar into alcohol.
• Carbon dioxide, a valuable byproduct, is collected, solidified, and sold as "dry ice" for leavening dough in the baking and bread-making industries
• Mucor racemosus molds serve as starters for starch scarification.
• Yeast facilitates the industrial production of alcohol by acting on sugar during the second stage.
• M. rouxii aids in the production of African native beer.
• Fungal enzymes facilitate the dextrinization of starch and desizing of textiles in processes using Digestin, Polyzime, etc.
• Molds commercially produce significant organic acids through the use of biochemical activities.
• Gibberella fujikuroi fungus produces gibberellins, plant hormones that cause rice disease.
• Gibberellin accelerates the growth of various horticultural crops .
• The cheese industry uses certain fungi, commonly known as cheese molds
• These molds play a vital role in refining cheeses, contributing distinct textures and flavors.
• Chief types of mould refined cheese: Camembert and Brie cheeses (soft), Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton cheeses (blue veined).
• Penicillium camemberti and P. caseicolum are used to make soft cheeses and P. roqueforti is used to produce blue veined cheese.
• Yeasts like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis have great nutritional value due to their high protein content.
• Food Yeast, containing 15% protein, grows with ammonia and molasses as carbon source.
• Yeasts function as an effective source for Vitamin B complex.
• In fungal production of Vitamins many Molds and yeasts are used in the synthesis of Ergosterol, which contains Vitamin D
• Filamentous yeast, Ashby gossypii, extracts Riboflavin.
• Aspergillus nidulans, A. sidowsi, A. fishri, Penicillium piscarum, P. javanicu produce fat.
• Some fungi are grown commercially to extract pigments for dye preparation.
• Bleeding fruit bodies of Stereum gausapatum and Lactiferous hyphae of Lactarium sp. produce Latex

Fungi as Biocontrol Agents

• Fungi are instrumental in exploiting insects, smaller worms, and overall pest control.
• Empusa sepulchrasis, Metarrhizium anisopliae, Cordyceps melothac, and others are used to manage insect pests.
• Trichoderma lignorum and Gliocladium fimbriatum, common fungal soil inhabitants, help in addressing diseases from soil borne fungi in damp soils, inhibiting mycelium growth of Pythium.
• Specific soil fungi are predacious, trapping and eliminating nematodes through mycelium loops.
• Predatory soil fungi generate conidia with a sticky quality, promoting adhesion and germination of nematodes, producing hyphae that infiltrate host tissues to absorb nourishment.
• Beauveria bassiana serves as a nematicide, combating borers, thrips, and aphids.
• Trichoderma viride and T. harzianum can manage a variety of soil-borne pathogens.

Fungi as Research Tools

• Because of their fast reproduction, fungi are used for biological research.
• Neurospora is suited for genetics research.
• Physarum polycephelum is helpful in the study of DNA synthesis and Mitosis.
• Neurospora crassa detects vitamin b
• Aspergillus niger helps detect the presence trace minerals like Zinc, Nickel and Copper