SEMINAR ON

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
OF FUNGI

Presented by:
Neha
Roll No. 761
 WHAT ARE FUNGI

Eukaryotic, Heterotrophic , single-celled.

Mostly non-motile
70,000 species; 1,000 discovered / year
Play an essential part in ecosystem
Multinucleated or multicellular organisms.
Lack chlorophyll, can’t photosynthesize.
Get their nutrients directly from other organisms.
Have a true nucleus enclosed in a membrane.
Chitin in the cell wall.
Molds, yeasts, mildews, rusts, smuts and mushrooms .
Significant contributions to
 food science.
 agriculture
 medicine
 industry
 experimental studies
 biological control
 In Agriculture

 Maintain soil fertility in acidic soils

eg. Chaetomium globosum, Polyporus abietinus
 act as decomposers eg. Saprophytic fungi
 Help in absorption of nutrients from soil
eg. Pinus roots with fungi
 Cause soil aggregation eg. Aspergillus, Penicillium,
Cladosporium
 In Medicine

Production of antibiotics
 The first antibiotic was Penicillin from P. notatum
 Jawahrene from Aspergillus
 Streptomycin from Streptomyces griseus
 Griseofulvin from P. griseofulvum
Few known drugs
Ergotin drug is obtained by Claviceps purpurea are
used at the time of child birth , hemorrhage and high
blood pressure
Cyclosporin, an anti-tissue rejection drug for organ
transplant patients, is derived from Cordyceps
subsessilis.
 Cont…..

A protein-bound polysaccharide obtained from

cultured mycelia of Coriolus versicolor in
basidiomycetes.
Antitumor action
Preventive effect on chemical carcinogen-induced,
radiation-induced, and spontaneously developed
carcinogenesis.
Many fungi can transform steroids into steroid
harmones eg. Cortisone is prepared by fermenting
glycosides in the presence of R.nigricans and
A.niger
The giant puff ball Clavatia contains an anti cancer
substance calvacin. The eating of these fungi
prevents stomach tumours
 Industrial use

Alcoholic fermentation
 basis of two important industries- Brewing and
Baking
 Rhizopus, Aspergillus are used in production of
African native beer
Cheese industry
 Cheese moulds are used to add flavor and texture to
cheese
 Cheese prepared by P.camemberti are very soft
 Coloured cheese are prepared by Roquefort
gorgonzola and P.roqueforti
Acids
 Giberallic acid from Gibberlla fujukuroi
 Citric acid from Mucor
Enzymes
 Invertase is obtained from Saccharomyces
cerevvisisae
 Maltase and Amylase from Mucor
 Food Products

Fermented products
Edible fungi
Mycoproteins
Dairy industry
Flavors and aromas
 Edible fungi

It is assumed that the primitive man consumed

mushrooms
Chinese are reported to have cultivated some
specialty mushrooms like Auricularia,
Flammulina and Lentinula between 600–1000
AD
The artificial cultivation of the common button
mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) in France around
the year 1650 transformed the world of mushroom
production and consumption.
 INTRODUCTION

Edible fleshy fungi are called mushrooms ,

poisonous ones are termed toadstools.
Out of 10,000 species of fleshy fungi about half of
them are edible and as many as 100 species are
highly poisonous.
Of about 2000 edible fleshy fungi, 20 types are being
artificially cultivated and about ten are being
produced and marketed in sizeable quantities.
Some of the edible fungi are: Agaricus campestris,
Podaxon podaxis, the puff balls (Lycoperdon and
Clavatia)
 Contd.

 Nutritive value of mushrooms-

 They are rich sources of vitamins and minerals.
 The contain good amount of niacin, pantothenic
acid and biotin.
 Fresh mushrooms contain
 85-95% moisture
 3% protein
 4% carbohydrate
 0.3-0.4% fat
 1% minerals and vitamins
 Nutraceuticals

A food or naturally occurring food supplement

thought to have a beneficial effect on human health.
Coined from "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical" in
1989 by Stephen De Felice
When a functional food aids in the prevention
and/or treatment of disease(s) and/or disorder(s), it
is called a nutraceutical.
 Biological control

Many soil inhabitant fungi are parasitic the soil

borne pathogens and control plant diseases eg.
Trichoderma lignorum
Some fungi present in soil also trap and destroy the
pathogenic nematodes or some infect insects called
endogenous fungi
Saprophytic fungi acts as scavengers and
decomposers.
Many fungi can reduce the organic load in polluted
water
 Experimental studies

Fungi form very good research material for genetic

studies and other biological processes eg.
Neurospora sitophila completes its lifecycle in a few
days and therefore it is an ideal organism for the
study of laws of heredity
Physarum polycephalum is used for the study of
DNA synthesis and meiosis.
 The lighted fungi

The fructification of some higher fungi are

bioluminescent eg. Fomes, Polyporus sulphureus,
Mycena lux coeli
The phenomenon of glowing of wood is called fox
fire
 Harmful activities

Pathogenic fungi cause diseases in human plants and

animals. Some of the plant diseases are:
Diseases Fungi
Red rot of wheat Pythium graminicolum

Black rust of wheat Puccinia graminis

Ergot of bajra Claviceps microcephala

Red rot of sugarcane Colletotrichum falcatum

Late blight of potato Phytophthora infestans

Some of the fungi are allergic in nature eg. Rhizopus,
Mucor
Many fungi produce toxins which
cause food poisoning eg. Aspergillus flavus,
Amanita phalloides
Many fungi are responsible for spoilage of food stuffs
eg. Mucor, Fusarium, Rhizopus