Good Fungus
Professor Wayne Armstrong of Palomar College says more than 100,000 species of molds, mushrooms, and other organisms are classified as fungi. While some fungi are known parasites of humans and other fungi are agriculturally important plant pathogens, a large number of fungi are commercially and ecologically beneficial.
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Brewer's Yeast
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The fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae is responsible for the fermentation of beer and wine. According to Armstrong, the brewing process was first discovered between 15,000 and 10,000 years ago when a Mesopotamian farmer discovered that the water used to soak grain developed a strange taste. The first written records depicting the history of brewing did not appear until 4,000 years later in Sumeria. Originally, the fermentation of wine and beer was caused by yeast fungi that naturally occurred in the environment, but modern brewers typically use isolates that are specifically developed for brewing beers and wines.
Baker's Yeast
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Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same fungus used in brewing, is also the yeast used by bakers to make bread rise. Yeasts are single-celled fungi that produce energy through the fermentation of carbohydrates. When added to bread dough, the yeast ferments the sugars in the flour, which results in the production of carbon dioxide and alcohol. The dough traps the tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide, causing the bread to rise.
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Mycorrhizae
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Some fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant roots. Some fungi form mycorrhizae, symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants. Mycorrhizal relationships are mutualistic; that means the plant gains from the inorganic nutrients absorbed by the fungus and the fungus benefits from the carbohydrates, like glucose, made by the plant. Mycorrhizal plants are often more tolerant of changing environmental conditions and thus more competitive than non-mycorrhizal plants. Farmers often inoculate transplanted crops in areas with high levels of soil disturbance with mycorrhizal fungi to aid in plant growth.
Penicillin
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The first antibiotic discovered was produced by the fungus Penicillium. Before the discovery of penicillin, minor infections and other diseases killed many people. The antibiotic properties of penicillin were discovered in the 1920s when Dr. Alexander Fleming was researching the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. One day Fleming noticed that one of the petri dishes contaminated with the fungus Penicillium was inhibiting the growth of the bacteria. Fleming published a paper on his findings in 1929, and that launched research into--and development of--antibiotics.
Edible Fungi
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Pigs are sometimes trained to hunt for truffles with their keen sense of smell. While some species of fungi produce harmful and potentially fatal mycotoxins, other species are highly valued for their edible nature. The most expensive edible species of fungus in the United States is the black truffle, or "black diamond," which can cost up to $80 each. In Thailand, the most highly prized fungal delicacy is the Termitomyces, a fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with termites.
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- Photo Credit bread image by Vitaliy Afanasopulo from Fotolia.com beer image by Einar Bog from Fotolia.com Root image by D"or from Fotolia.com antibiotics image by CraterValley Photo from Fotolia.com cochon image by jerome scalvini from Fotolia.com
