In the state of Washington U.S.A. in the foothills of Mount
Adams, a specimen of the fungus Armillaria ostoyae
covers 1,500 acres and seems to be 400-1,000 years old. This is
the largest living organism in the world. Fusarium graminearum - a new type of food
Although the name Fusarium graminearum is unknown
to most people in the U.K. a growing percentage of the
population eats it. This fungus is the main ingredient of
QuornTM. Quorn is a good source of protein, fibre, biotin,
iron and zinc, but contains no animal fat or cholesterol
and is therefore a healthy alternative to meat. Quorn
signals a completely new approach to food production - the
fungus is grown in a large sterile vessel called a
fermenter which is 45 metres tall. This method is cheaper
and uses less energy than farming animals.Penicillium and the world's greatest cheeses
The first stage of cheese making is the curdling of milk
proteins which yields a solid mass. Most cheeses are then
ripened by bacteria and fungi and although they start off
looking very similar, the differences in the bacteria and fungi
used produce a wide variety of cheeses. Some of the world's best
cheeses are ripened by Penicillium
fungi. Penicillium roqueforti is responsible for
ripening the hard cheeses Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola and
is the source of their blue veins. Penicillium
camemberti is the main organism used to ripen - you guessed
it - camembert, although the outer skin of camembert contains a
vast array of bugs.
Metarhizium anisopliae - a new insectiside
Locusts are amongst the most dramatic and devastating of the
insect pests. Locust swarms can cover more than 1000 square
kilometres and cause immense damage as they progress across
the countryside. The last major desert locust plague in the
1980s, affected large areas of northern Africa, the Middle
East and Western Asia and 250 million U.S. dollars was spent
on the application of chemical pesticides which achieved
only limited control but caused widespread concern about
environmental pollution. Some fungi parasitise insects and
one such fungus is Metarhizium anisopliae.
Recently, two commercial products based on the
entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae have
recently been launched for the control of locusts and
grasshoppers. This and other so called mycoinsectisides mark
a new era in pest control.