Industrial & Therapeutic Applications of Fungi

Question 1

Types of Applications of Fungi

Answer 1

• Production of antibiotics
• Production of alcoholic beverages, bread, and cheese
• Genetic engineering

Question 2

Production of antibiotics

Answer 2

• Example : ascomycetes of genus Penicillium
• Penicillium chrysogenum : produces penicillin (anti-bacterial antibiotic)
• Penicillium griseofulvin : produces griseofulvin (anti-fungal antibiotic)

Question 3

Production fo alcoholic beverages, bread, and cheese

Answer 3

• Example : the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• production of enzymes used for alcohol fermentation => production fo beer, wine, etc…
• production of basking yeast (CO2 production)

Question 4

Genetic engineering

Answer 4

• Example : insulin-like growth factor (IGF) can be produced in the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Study fo genes involved in human disease