10
study. It was concluded that under the optimized conditions, the production of chitosan was increased manifold (Tasar et al. 2016). Another recent study was conducted to produce the chitosan films. In this study, the authors incorporated fungal
extracts from the famous edible fungi Tricholoma. It was seen that the addition of
fungal extracts increased the elasticity and antioxidative and antimicrobial capacities of the chitosan films. However, there was a decrease in transparency and thermal stability of the final product (Koc et al. 2020).
Chitosan has many applications in the food industry. For the past many years,
this component has been used as a clarifying agent in many beverages and fruit
juices. To illustrate this, one such study describes the use of chitosan in clarifying
the apple juice. The modified apple juice was more clarified without affecting the
nutritional profile. Moreover, chitosan was proved to exhibit antioxidative and antimicrobial activities and hence it could be used as an active ingredient in the food
industry (Abdelmalek et al. 2017). Apart from the above-mentioned properties,
sometimes lower weight chitosan is used to encapsulate the bioactive components
present in the food products. As a result, these components remain safe from enzymatic degradation during processing as well as from oxidative damage to certain
extent. Furthermore, chitosan has the ability to form films and hence has a versatile
application during food packaging and helps in the preservation of food products for
longer periods of time (Wang et al. 2018). It also restricts the use of certain chemical
preservatives to food products (Rocha et al. 2017). Chitosan can also be used to
preserve minced meats for longer durations. One such study was done where the
minced meat was exposed to fungal chitosan and to chemical preservative – potassium sorbate. It was noted that meat treated with chitosan showed higher antimicrobial activity as compared to meat treated with potassium sorbate. In addition to this,
minced meat with chitosan exhibited greater sensory properties when compared to
other one (Tayel et al. 2014).
1.3.4 Other Fungal Byproducts
Apart from the above-mentioned byproducts, fungi also produce various flavoring
agents as their byproducts of fermentation process. Several compounds which are
produced during the fungal fermentation processes are esters, volatile and nonvolatile acids, carbonyls, sulfur derivatives, and phenolic compounds. For instance, terpenes are the most abundant elements which are produced during the fungal
fermentation. These elements are known to get produced from a variety of fungal
species like Trichoderma, Sporobolomyces, Kluyveromyces lactis, etc. (Hermosa
et al. 2014). Due to their production during fermentation period, the foodstuffs get
particular flavor. Different terpenes are known to impart sometimes citric taste or
sometimes fruity or bitter taste. Another component is lactone. Lactones are known
to give fruity, nutty, buttery, or sometimes cheesy flavor to the foodstuffs. They are
majorly seen in the foodstuffs related to dairy industry. Some particular dairy drinks,
cheese, or edible dairy items have a specific and common taste and smell. This is
S. Singh and S. Gaur
study. It was concluded that under the optimized conditions, the production of chitosan was increased manifold (Tasar et al. 2016). Another recent study was conducted to produce the chitosan films. In this study, the authors incorporated fungal
extracts from the famous edible fungi Tricholoma. It was seen that the addition of
fungal extracts increased the elasticity and antioxidative and antimicrobial capacities of the chitosan films. However, there was a decrease in transparency and thermal stability of the final product (Koc et al. 2020).
Chitosan has many applications in the food industry. For the past many years,
this component has been used as a clarifying agent in many beverages and fruit
juices. To illustrate this, one such study describes the use of chitosan in clarifying
the apple juice. The modified apple juice was more clarified without affecting the
nutritional profile. Moreover, chitosan was proved to exhibit antioxidative and antimicrobial activities and hence it could be used as an active ingredient in the food
industry (Abdelmalek et al. 2017). Apart from the above-mentioned properties,
sometimes lower weight chitosan is used to encapsulate the bioactive components
present in the food products. As a result, these components remain safe from enzymatic degradation during processing as well as from oxidative damage to certain
extent. Furthermore, chitosan has the ability to form films and hence has a versatile
application during food packaging and helps in the preservation of food products for
longer periods of time (Wang et al. 2018). It also restricts the use of certain chemical
preservatives to food products (Rocha et al. 2017). Chitosan can also be used to
preserve minced meats for longer durations. One such study was done where the
minced meat was exposed to fungal chitosan and to chemical preservative – potassium sorbate. It was noted that meat treated with chitosan showed higher antimicrobial activity as compared to meat treated with potassium sorbate. In addition to this,
minced meat with chitosan exhibited greater sensory properties when compared to
other one (Tayel et al. 2014).
1.3.4 Other Fungal Byproducts
Apart from the above-mentioned byproducts, fungi also produce various flavoring
agents as their byproducts of fermentation process. Several compounds which are
produced during the fungal fermentation processes are esters, volatile and nonvolatile acids, carbonyls, sulfur derivatives, and phenolic compounds. For instance, terpenes are the most abundant elements which are produced during the fungal
fermentation. These elements are known to get produced from a variety of fungal
species like Trichoderma, Sporobolomyces, Kluyveromyces lactis, etc. (Hermosa
et al. 2014). Due to their production during fermentation period, the foodstuffs get
particular flavor. Different terpenes are known to impart sometimes citric taste or
sometimes fruity or bitter taste. Another component is lactone. Lactones are known
to give fruity, nutty, buttery, or sometimes cheesy flavor to the foodstuffs. They are
majorly seen in the foodstuffs related to dairy industry. Some particular dairy drinks,
cheese, or edible dairy items have a specific and common taste and smell. This is
S. Singh and S. Gaur