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Article: Novel uses for fungi in biotechnology. (includes related articles)
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- January 15, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Novel Uses for Fungi in Biotechnology
As a conservative estimate, some 120,000 species of fungi have been isolated. Many of these have been screened for the ability to produce industrially or medically useful products. Ever since the early part of this century, when citric acid was first produced on a large scale, the main industrial use of fungi has been associated with the production of fermentation products, including antibiotics, enzymes and a range of biochemicals. Ethanol, citric acid, gluconic acid, itaconic acid, amino acids, vitamins, nucleotides and polysaccharides provide examples of primary metabolites produced by fungi, while antibiotics such as ...