Economic importance

Fungi are very much useful in our day-to

day life. Due to absence of chlorophyll, they
depends on living, dead or rotten organic sub
stances for food. Some are useful and others are
directly or indirectly harmful to the mankind.
Still some like Claviceps purpurea have both
harmful and useful activities. Considering the
overall activities, this can be said safely that in
one hand the fungi is our friend and on the other
hand the great foe, either directly or indirectly.
Some useful and harmful activities of fungi
are:

A. Useful activities: Directly or indirectly fungi

are beneficial to human being. Fungi is used
in medicine industry, as food, in food prepa
ration, in other industry and also in agricul
ture. Some of the useful activities are:
1. Preparation of Medicine : Various kinds
of fungi are used in the production of
various inds of medicine. The most
important members are Penicillium
notatum, Claviceps purpurea, Saccharo
myces cerevisiae, Eremothemium ash
byi, Aspergillus proliferous etc.
(a) Antibiotic : Antibiotics are the
metabolic product of some micro
organisms which are active
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Name of antibiotics Produced fungi
1. Penicillin Penicillium notatum
and P. crysogenum
2. Griseofulvin P. nigricans
P griseofulvum
3. Cephalosporin Acremonium sp.
4. Citrinin P. citrinum
5. Palutin P. palutum
6. Fumagilin Aspergillus furmigatus
7. Fusidic acid Fusidium coccineum
8. Viridin Trichoderma viridi
against other microorganism(s). Sir
Alexander Fleming (1929) was the
first who invented the wonder drug
Penicillin from Penicillium nota
tum. Later, Penicillin was also com
mercially produced from P. cryso
genum. Later on, other different
types of antibiotics were isolated
from different fungi. The list of
some fungi along with their pro
duced antibiotics and range of
activity are given above.
(b) Alkaloid : Several alkaloids are
produced and accumulated in the
sclerotium of Claviceps purpurea
which causes Ergot disease of rye.
Out of several alkaloids, Ergo
metrine and its semisynthetic ana
logues like methyl ergometrine and
methyl ergometrine maleate have
prominent uterine action, those
control haemorrhage of mother
during child's birth, having side
effect with increase in blood pres
sure and decreased milk secretion.
(c) Steroid : Rheumatic arthritis, allergy
and some other diseases are con
trolled by steroid. Many fungi have
the capacity to synthesize different
steroids. Steroid like cortisone is
produced by Aspergillus niger from
plant glycosides by fermentation.
(d) Vitamins : Vitamins are the
micronutrients required for the
growth of living organisms. Vitamin
B-complex, Vitamin Aand Vitamin
ATEXTBOOK OF BOTANY (VOL)
Range of activity
Bacteria
(both Gram + and -
Fungi
Bacteria (Gram +)
Fungi
Fungi and Bacteria
Protozoa
Bacteria
Fungi
B-12 are found respectively from
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhodo
torula gracilis and Eremothemium
ashbyi.
(e) Other compounds: An anticance
rous substance, calvacin is present
in the giant Puffball (Cavatia gigan
tea), that prevents stomach tumours.
Similarly, fungi like Ganoderma
luçdum have promising significant
roles in anticancerous, anti HIV
and antihepatitis-B diseases. The
fungi like Coriolus versicolor have
also anticancerous activity.
2 Food : Fungi are used as food by
humans from prehistoric period. Some
fungi have been used directly as food
and some are used in food processing
(a) Direct use: Fruit bodies of some
fungi, like Agaricus brunnescens, A.
campestris, Volveriella volvacea, V.
diplasia, Pleurotus sajor-caiu,
Lentinus edodes etc. are used as
food due to their high protein con
tent (21-30% on dry weight) and
have good amount of lysine, an
amino acid; minerals like Na, Ca. K
and P; Vitamins like B, C, Dand K
and very little amount of fat. These
are recommended as ideal foods for
heart and diabetic patients. The
above fungi can also grow artifici
ally at commercial level.
(b) Used in food processing : The nutri
tious food soyabean cannot be
digested easily by human beings.
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291

Soyabeans are fermented by fungi
like Rhizopus oryzae, R. oligospo
rus to prepare an easily diges
table and tasty food known as
"tempeh".
Several Indian foods such as jalebies, idli,
murcha, papadam and toddy, are actually the
fermented products caused by severalfungi like Enzyme
Saccharomyces bayanus for jalebies; Tricho Organic acid
tion : Many tungi are used in the
commerCial production of enzymes
and different organic acids. List ot
some fungi along with produced
enzymes and/or acids and their
uses are given:
Produced fungi Uses

sporon pollulans and Torulopsis candida for idli;

Rhizopus arrhizus for murcha; Saccharomyces Enzymes
cerevisiae for papadam and toddy. 1. Amylase Aspergillus oryzae, Alcohol industry and
Fermentation by yeast, particularly by A. niger in pharmaceuticals.
2. Cellulase Trichodermma reesli Production ofcheese
Rhodotorula and Saccharomyces, results in
quick growth of the organism producing single and hydrolysis of
cell protein (SCP). Because of high nucleic acid cellulose.
3. Invertase
content, the fermented products are not suitable Saccharormyces Paper industry and
for human nutrition, but can be used as feed for cerevisiae confectionary.
animal. 4. Zymase Saccharomyces Ethyle alcohol
cerevisiae production.
3. Fungi in industry : Many fungi are used
in the production of alcohol, bread, Organic acids
cheese, enzyme and organic acids. 1. Citric acid Aspergillus niger, Soft drinks and other
(a) Alcohol production: Alcoholic A. wentil foods. Manufacture
fermentation by fungi is the basis of of ink and leather
brewing industry. The enzyme tanning.
zymase of microorganisms like 2. Fumaric acid Rhizopus stolonifer Manutacture of
yeast is responsible for alcohol pro wetting agents.
duction. 3. Gallic acid Aspergillus gallo Manutacture of ink
The reaction is : myces, Penicillium ard dyes.
glaucum
Zymase
2C,H,OH + 2C0, 4. Gluconic acid Aspergillus nige, In textile, leather,
Yeast
Penicilum pupuro- food and photogra
Wines are produced from grapes or other fruits genum phic industries and
by Saccharomyces ellipsoideus with about 14% also in pharmaceu
alcohol concentration. Beer is brewed from bar ticals.
ley malt by Saccharomyces cerevisiae with 5. Kojic acid Aspergillus oryzae As insecicide and
3-8% alcohol production. antibiotic.

(b) Bread and cake production
During alcoholic fermentation by
yeast, CO, being released as bub
bles are used in baking industry to
make the breads and cakes as
spongy in appearance.
A) Cheese production :Some species of
Penicillium (P. roqu/orti and P.
camembert) are used in the produc
tion of Roquefort and Camembert
cheese by hydrolysis of fats and also
to develop specific flavour to
cheese.
(d) Enzyme and organic acid produc
6. Itaconic acid Aspergillus terreus, Manufacture of syn
A. itaconicum thetic fibre and
plasticisers.
4. Soil fertility : Decomposition of litter
and wood, mainly in the forest, takes
place by the combined action of diffe
rent type of fungi. Fungi like Fusarium.
Chaetomium, Chitridium, Penicillium.
Aspergillus etc., can decompose the
structural polymers such as cellulose
hemicellulose, lipid, protein, starch etc.
The more recalcitrant (persistant) poly
mers like lignin are decomposed by
white rot fungi of Basidiomycotina. By
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decomposing the organic matters, fungi

help to increase minerals and other sub
stances, thereby the fertility of soil is
increased.
5. Plant nutrition: Several fungal members
like Rhizoctonia, Tricholoma, Boletus,
Phallus, Amanita etc., associated with
the roots of higher plants form myco
rrhizal relationship. The fungal partner
supplies water and minerals and in
turn, they take nutrition from the plant.
6. Manufacture of Phytohormone : Gibbe
rellin, an important phytohormone
produced by Gibberella fujikuroi, the
pathogen of Bakanee disease of rice,
has been used to enhance growth of
many plants.
7. As insecticide : Fungi like Cordyceps
melonthae, Aschersonia aleyroidis,
Empusa sepulchralis etc., are used as
insecticides to control different types of
insects.
8. Biological research : Fungi like Neuros
pora, Yeast etc., have been used in
genetical and cytological studies.
Physarum polysephalum has been used
to study DNA-synthesis and morpho
genesis.
9. Test organism: Some strains of
Aspergillus niger have been used to
detect trace elements like Zn, Cu, and
Mo, even if the substances are present
invery minute quantity in thesubstrate.
These elements when absorbed by the
fungus give a particular colour to the
conidia. Similarly, Neurospora crassa
has been used to detect Vitamin B com
plex.