Economic Importance of Fungi in Industry

A number of Industries have been set up based on beneficial activities of fungi. Fungi have been utilized in a diverse range of industrial applications, either directly impacting materials or providing enzymes for various purposes.

Cheese Production

Certain fungi, commonly known as cheese molds, are essential for enhancing the taste and texture of cheese. The molds used in cheese production are harmless and therefore safe for consumption. Penicillium species like P. roqueforti and P. camemberti are utilized in making Roquefort and Camembert cheese by hydrolysis of fat and add specific flavors.

Also Read: Difference Between Molds And Yeasts

Production of Alcoholic Beverages

Yeast plays a key role in brewing industries by fermenting sugar solutions to produce ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide through the enzyme zymase.

• Yeasts lack enzyme diastase, so they cannot convert starch into sugar. Various fungi, such as molds, secrete a variety of enzymes that facilitate the fermentation of complex carbohydrates.
• In industrial alcohol production, molds are used as starters to break down starch to sugar, with yeast later used to act on the sugar.
• While molds can complete the fermentation process, but using yeast for the second stage typically results in a better yield
• Popular molds for saccharification include Mucor racemosus, M. rouxii, and some Rhizopus species, while Aspergillus flavus is used in African native beer production.

Also Read: Difference Between Fungi and Lichens

Some examples of fermented products and fungal strains used in fermentation are:

Production of Enzyme

Variety of hydrolytic enzymes were used in various industrial processes like amylases, invertases, cellulases and hemicellulases, pectinases, proteases, laccases, phytases, and lipases. These enzymes degrade complex organic compounds to simpler ones. In recent years many enzymes are commercially produced by using fungi.

Production of Organic Acid

Several pathogenic Fungi enhance their ability to infect by releasing organic acids or ammonia to change the acidity levels of their host’s environment. This ability of fungi is advantageous for biotechnological production of organic acid.

The economic importance of fungi lies across various industries. In agriculture, certain fungi contribute to biopesticides, offering environmentally friendly alternatives for pest control. Biotechnological applications utilize fungi to produce enzymes, antibiotics, and other valuable compounds.

Fungi contribute to the pharmaceuticals and food industry as well. In this article, we will discover the diverse economic importance of fungi, from agriculture to medicine and beyond.