TOPIC:

ROLE OF FUNGI IN FRESH FOOD

COURSE No. 311(MINOR)

Submitted by:

SAFANA

Department of Microbiology

SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Hafiza Asma

Dated:

12th of April,2021
FUNGI
Fungi are eukaryotic and achlorophyllous, non-photosynthetic organisms ,that are separated
taxonomically in the Fungi kingdom.

Mode of nutrition: Chemo heterotrophs

Cell wall: with notable exceptions they have cell walls

Size: multicellular (molds) or unicellular (yeast)

Reproduction: sexual or asexual

Mode of living: 1) Mutualism

2) Parasitic

Composed of: hyphae which make up main body called mycelium.

Movement: primitive fungi are amoeboid while other move by flagellation.

Significance of fungi in food

Fungi inhabit nearly every niche on earth, and our food supply is no exception. The quantity and quality
of food you eat is affected by fungi of many kinds. Some decompose foods, causing spoilage; some
reflects quality and safety of foods; some can be used as a food feed supplement ; others are used to
manufacture certain foods such as cheeses and Soy sauce. Economically, microorganisms have a
significant influence on both the food manufacturing industry and the food service industry.

Compendiously, it has both positive and negative effects on food which are discussed briefly here:

 POSITIVE EFFECTS:
Although we often think of fungi as organisms that cause disease and rot food, they are vitally
important to human life on many levels. As we have seen, fungi influence the well-being of
human populations on a large scale because they are part of the nutrient cycle in ecosystems.
Fungi as food source:
Many types of fungi and cells of yeast produced in large quantities can be used as food
for animals as well as humans.
Many species of fungi are edible, about 2000 species have been reported from all over
the world. They are attractive as food sources as they can be grown easily on industrial
waste and byproduct and yield a large crop that is rich in vitamins and proteins.
The content inavailable food in them is not high but they can supply vitamins. Yeast and
some filamentous fungi are valuable sources of vitamins of complex B.
Yeast cells have protein content between 40 to 50%.They also have high vitamin content i.e.
1000 lb. of yeast would produce several tons of protein, while, 1000 lb. steer gains 1 lb. of
protein.

Some examples of edible fungi are:

1) Agaricus bisporus dominates the edible mushroom market in North America and
Europe, in several forms.
2) Pleurotus species are commonly grown at industrial scale.
3) Agaricus campestris, is the most commonly eaten wild mushroom in Britain and
Ireland.

Antagonistic fungi:

A significant amount of harvested fruits and vegetables is lost annually due to microbial
spoilage and this loss can range from 10%–50% depending on the commodity and
country. The harvested yield might have been infected by one or several pathogens
prior to harvest or they may become infected during transit and storage.

Several researches have been carried out to identify effective biocontrol agents for
post-harvest disease management and as a result, biocontrol antagonists are now
employed to control postharvest diseases worldwide.

Postharvest rots of several fruits could be reduced considerably by spraying the fruit
with spores of antagonistic fungi and saprophytic yeasts at different stages of fruit
development, or by dipping the harvested fruit in the inoculum.

MODE OF MECHANISM:
The antagonistic fungi are likely to function via multiple mechanisms,
i) Competition for Nutrients and Space:
Once the antagonistic fungi come into contact with the surface of the injured
fruit, They will occupy the wounds and rapidly deplete the nutrients, which
limits the germination of fungal Spores.
Eg.
The yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima can produce iron chelators to compete
for their on required by pathogens, thus strongly inhibiting the growth of the
pathogens

ii) Mycoparasitism:
 Mycoparasitism refers to the phenomenon of antagonistic fungi feeding on
fungal pathogens via attaching to the fungal pathogen hyphae and then
secreting cellwall-degrading enzymes to destroy or lyse the fungal structures.
Eg.
Pichia membranefaciens and C.albidus can attach to and degrade the
Hyphae of P.expansum, M.fructicola, and R.stolonifer
iii) Induction of Host Resistance:
Antagonistic fungi have been reported to act as biological elicitors in the
interactions with fruit hosts.Treatment with antagonistic fungi can increase the
expression of defense related genes and enhance the activities of defense-
related enzymes.
Eg.
The activities of defense-related enzymes by W.anomalus were considered as
one of the possible
Mechanisms in inhibiting blue mold decay caused by P.expansum in pears.
iv) Production of VOCs and Killer Toxins:
VOCs are volatile compounds with low molecular weight (<300Da) ,low
polarity ,and high vapor Pressure. Some antagonistic fungi can produce VOCs,
and the mixture of VOCs has been proposed to play an important role in the
control of post-harvest pathogens under air tight conditions.
Several toxins have been reported to be able to control postharvest pathogens,
and proteinaceous killer toxins are the most prominent anti fungal toxins
produced by yeasts. Killer toxins provide a competitive advantage to yeasts, and
they can kill fungi (including other yeasts) by a variety of mechanisms, including
hydrolyzation of the cell wall, destruction of the cell structure ,and inhibition of
DNA synthesis.
Eg.
Killer toxins have long been used in the wine industry to control spoilage yeasts.

REASONS FOR HIGH APPLICATION OF FUNGAL ANTAGONIST AMONG MICROBES:

 Fungi have a comparatively high reproductive and are target specific.

 Furthermore, in the absence of the host, they can survive in the environment shifting
their mode of parasitism to saprotrophism thus maintaining sustainability.
 Many fungal species possess mechanisms that allow them to efficiently protect plants
from diseases caused by plant pathogenic fungi.
 NEGATIVE EFFECTS:
Spoilage of foods:
 Microbial invasion of plant tissue by bacteria, fungi, and viruses can occur during various
stages of fruit and vegetable development. The more the tissues are invaded,
the greater the likelihood of spoilage.
The pH of fruits is relatively low, ranging from 2.3 for lemons to 5.0 for bananas. This
acidity restricts bacterial growth but does not retard fungal growth.
Hence many fungi are causative agents of diseases of fruits and vegetable crops.
Some are mentioned below:

Disease Causative agent Symptoms

Late blight Phytophthora infestans  When plants have
become infected,
lesions appear on the
leaves, petioles,and
stems.
 A whitish growth of
spore-producing
structures may appear
at the margin of the
lesions on the
underleaf surfaces.
Downy mildew of cucumber Pseudoperonospora cubensis  Pale green to yellow
spots form on upper
surface of leaves, and
later turn brown.
 Dark purplish grey
fuzz forms on
underside of the leaf
in high humidity.
Clubroot disease Plasmodiophora brassicae.  Roots are swollen and
distorted into large
clubs.
 Clubbed roots are firm
and light colored early
in the season.
 Roots turn black and
decay by the end of
the season.
Apple scab Venturia inaequalis  forms pale yellow or
olive-green spots on
the upper surface of
leaves. Dark, velvety
spots may appear on
the lower surface.
Early blight Alternaria solani  Initially, small dark
Alternaria tomatophila spots form on older
foliage near the
ground. Severely
infected leaves turn
brown and fall off, or
dead, dried leaves
may cling to the stem.
 Stem infections on
older plants are oval to
irregular, dry brown
areas with dark brown
concentric rings.
 Fruit spots are
leathery and black,
with raised concentric
ridges.

Other than diseases many fungi are responsible for causing spoilage of food stuffs:

 Penicillium digitatum causes rotting of citrus fruits.

 Milk and milk products are spoiled and made unfit for human use due to the growth of
several fungi such as Mucor, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Oidium and Fusarium Mucor
mucedo
 spp. of Aspergillus grow on bread and spoil it.
 Oidium lactis develops the fishy odour of butter causing damage to the butter.

Conclusion:
Fungi plays an important role in food as some of them are used as food source while some
reflects the safety and freshness of foods. Contrarily to that, they can also cause food spoilage.

REFRENCES:
 https://www.biologydiscussion.com/fungi/economic-importance-of-fungi-botany/63827
 https://microbiologysociety.org/why-microbiology-matters/what-is-
microbiology/microbes-and-food/producers.html#:~:text=Fungi%20have%20been
%20used%20as,processing%20for%20thousands%20of%20years.&text=Filamentous
%20fungi%20are%20used%20in,used%20in%20the%20food%20industry
 https://opentextbc.ca/biology2eopenstax/chapter/importance-of-fungi-in-human-life/
 https://sg.docworkspace.com/d/sIGKh14AnlurHgwY
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/fungal-
antagonist
 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2020.604923/full
 https://www.britannica.com/science/late-blight
 https://extension.umn.edu/diseases/downy-mildew-cucurbits
 https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/clubroot
 https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/apple-scab/
 “Microbiology Concepts and Applications” by “ Michael J. Pelczar,Jr