The Good Fungus – About the Potential of Fungi for Our Future

Abstract

The biological kingdom of Fungi consists of a large group of widely diverse organisms which can be found growing almost everywhere on earth. Evidence of the use of fungi for biotechnological processes dates back thousands of years, to the early Neolithic, well before term biotechnology existed. Biofuels–energy sources derived from any type of biomass–are, therefore, not an invention of the last century. Fungal enzymes as those produced by T. reesei not only find application in the biofuel industry, in fact, approximately half of the currently commercially used enzymes is derived from fungi. In the food sector it is added to soft drinks, candies and jams where it acts as acidulant and taste enhancer. The majority of fungi produce small molecules called secondary metabolites that are not directly involved in growth and development but have biological activity, contributing to the survival of the fungus against competing organisms in the environment.