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Dairy
Published in Christopher Cumo, Ancestral Diets and Nutrition, 2020
Like the alcohol ethanol (C2H5OH), cheese is a microbial product. Whereas yeast fungi (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) make ethanol, bacteria produce cheese. These microorganisms, known as lactic-acid bacteria, convert lactose into lactic acid (C3H6O3). Cheesemakers may add yeast or other microbes for flavor and color. For example, Penicillium—the mold genus that yielded the antibiotic penicillin—is used to create several types, including blue cheese from Penicillium roqueforti and brie and camembert from Penicillium camemberti. Rennet enzymes congeal the milk protein casein, making cheese solid rather than liquid. The primary enzyme in this process, chymosin, forms curds. Preferences govern the addition of salt, pepper (Piper nigrum), garlic (Allium sativum), chives (Allium schoenoprasum), or other ingredients. As implied earlier, cheese has few carbohydrates relative to fat and protein, though the use of skim milk reduces fat.
Aeroallergen sampling
Published in Richard F. Lockey, Dennis K. Ledford, Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy, 2020
Estelle Levetin, Josh D. McLoud
Wakefield [64] tested spore trap air samples for the presence of Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis. To verify that the 267 base-pair PCR product was from P. carinii f. sp. hominis, it was cloned into plasmids and sequenced. Calderon et al. [65] developed a nested-PCR assay to detect Penicillium roqueforti conidia in a wind tunnel trial using a rotating arm impactor and Hirst-type sampler. Nested PCR enhances the specificity of the PCR by using a second set of primers, and the resulting assay had a detection limit of 10 spores. The same lab also developed a nested-PCR assay for the plant pathogens Leptosphaeria maculans and Pyrenopeziza brassicae [66] with the same detection limit. The authors identified DNA from these pathogens in air samples collected with a Hirst-type spore trap situated near infected oilseed rape crops. The specificity, sensitivity, and reduced processing time of PCR methods, compared to culture-based methods, have been advantageous in screening air samples for specific organisms.
Penicillium and Talaromyces
Published in Dongyou Liu, Laboratory Models for Foodborne Infections, 2017
Elena Bermúdez, Félix Núñez, Josué Delgado, Miguel A. Asensio
Penicillium species play important roles in the environment, agriculture, and industry. Some species of genus Penicillium are of economic importance to the food industry because they contribute to food ripening, while others are postharvest pathogens or cause spoilage. For example, Penicillium camemberti and Penicillium roqueforti are used for cheese manufacture; Penicillium nalgiovense and Penicillium chrysogenum contribute to ripening of dry-cured meat products. On the other hand, Penicillium expansum is the causal agent of blue mold postharvest rots of apples and is also able to produce patulin and other mycotoxins, as discussed later. Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum are responsible for postharvest citrus decay. Heat-resistant ascospores produced by various Talaromyces spp. cause spoilage of pasteurized juices and other fruit-based products.4
Metabolic and pharmacological profiling of Penicillium claviforme by a combination of experimental and bioinformatic approaches
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2022
Zafar Ali Shah, Khalid Khan, Zafar Iqbal, Tariq Masood, Hassan A. Hemeg, Abdur Rauf
The genus Penicillium has produced various mycotoxins. The lethality of fungal species depends strongly on mycotoxins [71]. Filamentous fungi produce a number of mycotoxins, including lethal ochratoxin A [72]. These mycotoxins induce their toxicity through the overexpression of HSP70, which causes apoptosis. It is believed that the availability or lack of various surrounding physiological factors strongly affects the production of metabolites [73]. The acute toxicity of two metabolites isolated from Penicillium roqueforti demonstrated toxicity in mice. Its mechanism is described as inhibition of ammonia and amino acid function [74]. A new mycotoxin was isolated from Penicillium verruculosum. These metabolites produced severe acute toxicity and tremors in mice, with an LD50 of 126.7 mgkg−1 [75]. Pigment isolated from Penicillium resticulosum was tested for acute toxicity in mice weighing between 500 and 1000 mgkg−1. These pigments were found to have low acute toxicity [76]. Considering the acute toxicity of metabolites as well as fungal extracts, the P. claviforme crude extract was subjected to an acute toxicity test on mice (Table 6).