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filamentous fungi contribute in two important processes; these are the provision of
enzymes for coagulation and mould-ripening (Freitas and Malcata 2000). The
action of enzymes is involved in cheese production which coagulates the proteins in
milk, forming solid curds (from which the cheese is made) and liquid whey, and
animal enzymes, specifically chymosin and pepsin, extracted from the stomach
membranes of unweaned ruminants were used in traditional cheese-making.
Very recently, the market has been dominated by the cheese products obtained
using animal enzymes produced by genetically modified microbes, but for the coagulation step, the industrial cheese production still depends on enzymes from filamentous fungi (Gupta et al. 2003). Two of the most familiar examples of blue cheese
are ‘Camembert’ and ‘Roquefort’. Two species of Penicillium were used for their
cheese production, P. camemberti, in Camembert cheese and P. roqueforti in
Roquefort cheese, respectively. The cheese making process started approximately
4000 years ago involving the addition of moulds and other microorganisms for adding flavour to cheese. The processes are usually referred to as mould ripening.
Methyl ketones, particularly 2-heptanone, are produced as the major flavour and
odour compounds during the fungus growth throughout the cheese. Camembert and
Brie are ripened by Penicillium camemberti, which produces changes in the texture
of the cheese rather than its flavour. Extracellular proteases released by the fungus
during its growth on the surface of the cheese help in the digestion of the cheese to
a softer consistency from the outside towards the centre (Moore and Chiu 2001).
8.6 Use of Fungi in Beverage Production
Many alcoholic beverages are produced using the widely used yeast strain
Saccharomyces cerevisiae which have been classified into three categories: those
produced using fruit juices, those produced using starchy materials and those produced using other plant materials (Carlile et al. 2001). Production of alcoholic beverages using fruit juices includes wine, cider and perry. Wine is the product of the
alcoholic fermentation by S. cerevisiae of the fresh grape juices and produced by
fermenting red and white grapes, where the yeast converts the fruit sugars into alcohol. In Germany, Botrytis cinerea, a grape vine pathogen, is used to produce a particular wine ‘Sauternes’ or ‘Edelfaule’. The pathogen attacks the growing grapes
during their fermentation by growing their hyphae into the skin of the grapes causing water loss, resulting in shrivelled grapes with unusually high sugar concentration. The concentration of the sugars inside leads to the removal of any residual
acidity, and the grapes are then harvested and fermented using the traditional methods, resulting into wine of sweet and high quality. Apples are used for the production of cider that can be classified into sweet (low in acid and tannin), bittersweet
(low in acid, high in tannin), sharp (high acid, low tannin) and bitter sharp (high in
both acid and tannin). Apple contains less sugar than grapes, due to which there is a
decreasing alcohol concentration in cider. Perry pears or dessert pears are used for
the production of perry. Same techniques and organism for fermentation are used
8 Fungal Production of Food Supplements
filamentous fungi contribute in two important processes; these are the provision of
enzymes for coagulation and mould-ripening (Freitas and Malcata 2000). The
action of enzymes is involved in cheese production which coagulates the proteins in
milk, forming solid curds (from which the cheese is made) and liquid whey, and
animal enzymes, specifically chymosin and pepsin, extracted from the stomach
membranes of unweaned ruminants were used in traditional cheese-making.
Very recently, the market has been dominated by the cheese products obtained
using animal enzymes produced by genetically modified microbes, but for the coagulation step, the industrial cheese production still depends on enzymes from filamentous fungi (Gupta et al. 2003). Two of the most familiar examples of blue cheese
are ‘Camembert’ and ‘Roquefort’. Two species of Penicillium were used for their
cheese production, P. camemberti, in Camembert cheese and P. roqueforti in
Roquefort cheese, respectively. The cheese making process started approximately
4000 years ago involving the addition of moulds and other microorganisms for adding flavour to cheese. The processes are usually referred to as mould ripening.
Methyl ketones, particularly 2-heptanone, are produced as the major flavour and
odour compounds during the fungus growth throughout the cheese. Camembert and
Brie are ripened by Penicillium camemberti, which produces changes in the texture
of the cheese rather than its flavour. Extracellular proteases released by the fungus
during its growth on the surface of the cheese help in the digestion of the cheese to
a softer consistency from the outside towards the centre (Moore and Chiu 2001).
8.6 Use of Fungi in Beverage Production
Many alcoholic beverages are produced using the widely used yeast strain
Saccharomyces cerevisiae which have been classified into three categories: those
produced using fruit juices, those produced using starchy materials and those produced using other plant materials (Carlile et al. 2001). Production of alcoholic beverages using fruit juices includes wine, cider and perry. Wine is the product of the
alcoholic fermentation by S. cerevisiae of the fresh grape juices and produced by
fermenting red and white grapes, where the yeast converts the fruit sugars into alcohol. In Germany, Botrytis cinerea, a grape vine pathogen, is used to produce a particular wine ‘Sauternes’ or ‘Edelfaule’. The pathogen attacks the growing grapes
during their fermentation by growing their hyphae into the skin of the grapes causing water loss, resulting in shrivelled grapes with unusually high sugar concentration. The concentration of the sugars inside leads to the removal of any residual
acidity, and the grapes are then harvested and fermented using the traditional methods, resulting into wine of sweet and high quality. Apples are used for the production of cider that can be classified into sweet (low in acid and tannin), bittersweet
(low in acid, high in tannin), sharp (high acid, low tannin) and bitter sharp (high in
both acid and tannin). Apple contains less sugar than grapes, due to which there is a
decreasing alcohol concentration in cider. Perry pears or dessert pears are used for
the production of perry. Same techniques and organism for fermentation are used
8 Fungal Production of Food Supplements