New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Penicillium System Properties and Applications

Vijai G. Gupta, Susana Rodriguez-Couto

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780444635013
• eBook ISBN: 9780444635129
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Microbiology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Penicillium System Properties and Applications covers important research work on the applications of penicillium from specialists from an international perspective. The book compiles advancements and ongoing processes in the penicillium system, along with updated information on the possibilities for future developments. All chapters are derived from current peer reviewed literature as accepted by the international scientific community.These important fungi were found to secrete a range of novel enzymes and other useful proteins, and are still being extensively studied and improved for specific use in the food, textile, pulp and paper, biocellulosic ethanol production and other industries. The book caters to the needs of researchers/academicians dealing with penicillium spp. related research and applications, outlining emerging issues on recent advancements made in the area of research and its applications in bioprocess technology, chemical engineering, molecular taxonomy, biofuels/bioenergy research and alternative fuel development.In addition, the book also describes the identification of useful compound combinations/enzyme cocktails and the fermentation conditions required to obtain them at an industrial scale. Finally, the book provides updated information on the best utilization of these fungi as a natural tool to meet the next challenges of biotechnology.- Compiles the latest developments and current studies in the penicillium system- Contains chapters contributed by top researchers with global appeal- Includes current applications in bioindustry and lists future potential applications of these fungi species- Identifies future research needs for these important fungi, including the best utilization of them as a natural tool to meet the next challenges of biotechnology

Part I

Penicillium: Biology to Biotechnology

Outline

Chapter 1 Biodiversity of the Genus Penicillium in Different Habitats

Chapter 2 Understanding the Diversity of Penicillium Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Chapter 1

Biodiversity of the Genus Penicillium in Different Habitats

Ajar N. Yadav¹, Priyanka Verma¹, Vinod Kumar¹, Punesh Sangwan¹, Shashank Mishra², Neha Panjiar², Vijai K. Gupta³ and Anil K. Saxena⁴, ¹Eternal University, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India, ²Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, ³ERA Chair of Green Chemistry, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia, ⁴ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Kusmaur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Penicillium is a genus of ascomycetous fungi and has an important role in various natural processes. The wide and ubiquitous presence of the Penicillium species has been researched in several studies. According to a comprehensive literature analysis Penicillium is one of the most common fungi occurring in various environments such as soil, air, and extreme environments (temperature, salinity, water deficiency, and pH) and is also associated with plants and specific food products. Due to its huge diversity and existence in extreme environments there is great potential in using it for various environmental, biotechnological, and industrial applications. This chapter describes how to isolate and identify Penicillium species and its diversity in various habitats as well as insight in its selectivity.

Keywords

Extreme environments; Penicillium; biodiversity; plant associated; habitats

1.1 Introduction

Penicillium is an important genus of phylum ascomycota, found in the natural environment as well as in food and drug production. Some members of the genus produce penicillin, a molecule used as an antibiotic that kills or stops the growth of certain kinds of bacteria inside the body. Other species are used in cheese making. It has a worldwide distribution and a large economic impact on human life. Its main function in nature is the decomposition of organic materials, where species cause devastating rots as pre- and postharvest pathogens on food crops (Frisvad and Samson, 2004), as well as for the production of a diverse range of mycotoxins (Frisvad and Samson, 2004). Some species also have positive impacts, with the food industry exploiting some species for the production of speciality cheeses, such as Camembert or Roquefort (Giraud et al., 2010) and fermented sausages (López-Pérez et al., 2015). The degradative ability of Penicillium is due to the production of novel hydrolytic enzymes (Raper and Thom, 1949; Li et al., 2007; Adsul et al., 2007; Terrasan et al., 2010). Its biggest impact and claim to fame is the production of penicillin, which revolutionized medical approaches to treating bacterial diseases (Chain et al., 1940; Abraham et al., 1941). Many other extrolites have since been discovered that are used for a wide range of applications (Frisvad and Samson, 2004). Pitt (1979) considered it axiomatic that Penicillium or one of its products has affected every modern human.

Extreme environments represent unique ecosystems that harbor novel biodiversity (Saxena et al, 2016). Penicillium is well known and one of the most common fungi found in a diverse range of habitats, including soil, air, extreme environments (temperature, salinity, water deficiency, and pH), and various food products. The genus Penicillium is ubiquitous in many environments. Since 1957, several novel species have been found such as Penicillium isariaeforme (Stolk and Meyer, 1957), Penicillium novaecaledoniae (Smith, 1965), Penicillium caerulescens (Quintanilla, 1983), Penicillium krugerii (Ramirez, 1990), Penicillium parvulum (Peterson and Horn, 2009), Penicillium buchwaldii (Frisvad et al., 2013), Penicillium corvianum (Visagie et al., 2016) from soil; Penicillium maclennaniae (Yip, 1981), Penicillium radicum (Hocking et al., 1998), and Penicillium virgatum (Kwasna and Nirenberg, 2005) from rhizospheric soil, Penicillium aurantio-flammiferum, Penicillium gallaicum, Penicillium granatense, Penicillium ilerdanum, Penicillium cordubense (Ramirez et al., 1978), Penicillium simile (Davolos et al., 2012) from air; Penicillium hispalense (Ramirez and Martínez, 1981), Penicillium araracuarense, Penicillium wotroi, Penicillium vanderhammenii, Penicillium penarojense, Penicillium elleniae (Houbraken et al., 2011) from phyllosphere; Penicillium nodositatum (Valla et al., 1989), Penicillium allii (Vincent and Pitt, 1989), Penicillium ellipsoideosporum (Wang and Kong, 1999), Penicillium excelsum (Taniwaki et al., 2015), Penicillium cataractum (Visagie et al., 2016), and Penicillium chroogomphum (Rong et al., 2016) from endophytic tissue of stems, roots, or seeds; Penicillium zacinthae (Ramirez and Martínez, 1981), Penicillium rubefaciens, Penicillium vaccaeorum (Quintanilla, 1982), and Penicillium jejuense (Park et al., 2015) from marine, saline soil, or mangroves; Penicillium soppii, Penicillium lanosum (Frisvad et al., 2006), Penicillium svalbardense (Sonjak et al., 2007b), Penicillium amphipolaria (Visagie et al., 2016) from cold environments; Penicillium argillaceum (Stolk et al., 1969) from hot springs; Penicillium hispanicum (Ramirez et al., 1978), Penicillium mali (Gorlenko and Novobranova, 1983), Penicillium psychrosexualis (Houbraken et al., 2010a), Penicillium viticola (Nonaka et al., 2011), Penicillium daejeonium (Sang et al., 2013) from different fruits surface; Penicillium panissanguineum, Penicillium tanzanicum (Visagie et al., 2016) from Termite mounds; Penicillium mallochii, and Penicillium guanacastense (Rivera et al., 2012) from gut caterpillars; and Penicillium costaricense (Visagie et al., 2016) from intestines of Rothschildia.

The genus Penicillium is one of the most versatile “mycofactories,” comprising species able to solubilized phosphorus, produce plant growth promoting phytohormones (indole acetic acid and gibberellic acid), and produce siderophore, HCN, ammonia, and other bioactive compounds that can modulate plant growth and development (Whitelaw et al., 1997; Khan et al., 2008; Leitão and Enguita, 2016). The genus Penicillium may be used for bioremediation (Bhargavi and Savitha, 2014; Chan et al., 2016). The wide range of biosurfactants has been synthesized by diverse species of Penicillium, which include glycolipids, lipopeptides, phospholipids, fatty acids, and polymeric compounds. Biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers commonly have advantages such as biodegradability, low toxicity, selectivity, and biocompatibility over chemically synthesized surfactants, as well as being effective at extreme pH, temperature, and salinity. These properties enable their wide application in areas such as the bioremediation of pollutants and in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. The wide range of extracellular enzymes produced by the Penicillium species plays an important role in the microbiological break down of organic materials (Chávez et al., 2006; Gusakov and Sinitsyn, 2012).

1.2 Isolation and Characterization of Penicillium

As Penicillium is ubiquitous, it can be isolated from diverse extreme environments as well as from plants (epiphytic, endophytic, and rhizospheric) and decaying fruits. (Fig. 1.1). Penicillium from extreme environments and plants can be isolated by using different growth media such as cornmeal agar, czapek dox agar, potato dextrose agar, rose bengal agar, sabouraud dextrose agar, and vegetable juice agar (V8) (Table 1.1). Culturable Penicillium from sediment, soil, and rhizospheric soil can be isolated through enrichment using a standard serial dilution plating technique. Epiphytic Penicillium species can be isolated using ‘leaf imprinting’ methods (Verma et al., 2016a,b). Endophytic Penicillium may occur in low numbers and sometimes in localized positions within plants and thus it is almost impossible to find its specific affiliation with the host plant. For isolation of endophytic Penicillium, attention needs to be paid to avoid contamination with undesirable epiphytic microbes. It is recommended to first sterilize the entire surface of the samples, followed by cutting their organs and tissues into pieces with a sterilized knife, ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Part I: Penicillium: Biology to Biotechnology
• Part II: Secondary Metabolism
• Part III: Tools
• Part IV: Applications
• Annexure I
• Index