Mold fungus penicillium is a plant that has become widespread in nature. It belongs to the imperfect class. At the moment, there are more than 250 of its varieties. Golden pinicillium, otherwise racemose green mold, has a special meaning. This variety is used for the manufacture of medicines. "Penicillin" based on this fungus allows you to overcome many bacteria.
Habitat
Penicillium is a multicellular fungus for which the soil is a natural habitat. Very often this plant can be seen in the form of a blue or green mold. It grows on all kinds of substrates. However, it is most commonly found on the surface of vegetable mixtures.
Structure of a mushroom
As for the structure, the penicillium fungus is very similar to Aspergillus, which also belongs to the moldy fungus family. The vegetative mycelium of this plant is transparent and branching. It usually consists of a large number of cells. The fungus penicillium differs from mukor in its mycelium. He is multicellular. As for the mucor mycelium, it is unicellular.
Vultures of penicilla are either located on the surface of the substrate, orget inside it. Elevating and erect conidiophores depart from this part of the fungus. Such formations, as a rule, branch in the upper part and form brushes that carry colored unicellular pores. These are conidia. Plant tassels, in turn, can be of several types:
- asymmetrical;
- three-tier;
- bunk;
- single-tier.
A certain type of penicilla forms bundles of conidia called coremia. Reproduction of the fungus is carried out by the spread of spores.
Why is it a parasite
Parasitic fungi (penicillium and mukor) provoke food spoilage, and also take an active part in the decomposition of tissues of animal and vegetable origin. This is due to the large number of enzymes. It is worth noting that mold plaque on a plant substrate can be formed simultaneously by several varieties of the fungus. At the same time, the nutrition of this type of plant is carried out by absorption of ready-made organic components. It is for this reason that penicillium is considered a parasite.
Harming a person
Many believe that penicillium fungi are bacteria. However, this is not the case. Some varieties of this plant have pathogenic properties with respect to animals and humans. Most of the damage is done when the fungus infects agricultural and food products, multiplying rapidly.inside them. If stored incorrectly, penicillium infects feed. If you feed it to animals, then their death is not ruled out. Indeed, inside such food accumulates a large amount of toxic substances that adversely affect he alth.
Pharmaceutical applications
Could penicillium mushroom be helpful? Bacteria that cause certain viral diseases are not resistant to antibiotics made from molds. Some varieties of these plants are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their ability to produce enzymes. The drug "Penicillin", which fights many types of bacteria, is obtained from Penicillium notatum and Penicillium chrysogenum.
It is worth noting that the manufacture of this drug takes place in several stages. For starters, the fungus is grown. For this, corn extract is used. This substance allows you to get the best production of penicillin. After that, the fungus is grown by immersing the culture in a special fermenter. Its volume is several thousand liters. Plants are actively multiplying there.
After being removed from the liquid medium, the penicillium fungus undergoes additional processing. At this stage of production, s alt solutions and organic solvents are used. Such substances make it possible to obtain end products: potassium and sodium s alt of penicillin.
Molds and food industry
Due to some properties, the mushroompenicillium is widely used in the food industry. Certain varieties of this plant are used in cheese making. As a rule, these are Penicillium Roquefort and Penicillium camemberti. These types of mold are used in the manufacture of cheeses such as Stiltosh, Gorntsgola, Roquefort and so on. This "marble" product has a loose structure. Cheeses of this variety are characterized by a specific aroma and appearance.
It is worth noting that the culture of penicillium is used at a certain stage in the manufacture of such products. For example, the mold strain Penicillium Roquefort is used to produce Roquefort cheese. This type of fungus can multiply even in loosely pressed curd mass. This mold perfectly tolerates low oxygen concentrations. In addition, the fungus is resistant to high s alt content in an acidic environment.
Penicill is able to release lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes that affect milk fats and proteins. Under the influence of these substances, the cheese acquires friability, oiliness, as well as a specific aroma and taste.
Finally
The properties of the fungus penicilla have not yet been fully studied. Scientists regularly conduct new research. This allows you to reveal new properties of the mold. Such work allows you to study the products of metabolism. In the future, this will allow the use of penicillium fungus in practice.
