Biologically Active Substances of Fungus Aspergillus Niger

Abstract

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is frequently used for industrial production of fermentative products such as enzymes, proteins and biochemicals. In contrast to what most people might think, citric acid is not or not anymore isolated from citrus fruits, but is industrially produced by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. In 1917, a food chemist named James Currie made a promising discovery: any strain of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger would produce high concentrations of citric acid when grown in sugar medium. This tricarboxylic acid, which we now know is an intermediate of the Krebs cycle, had previously been extracted from citrus fruits for applications in food and beverage production. Two years after Currie’s discovery, industrial-level production using Aspergillus niger began, the biochemical fermentation industry started to flourish, and industrial biotechnology was born. Aspergillus niger additionally producing a diverse range of proteins, enzymes and secondary metabolites. In this review, we presented materials on more than 100 years of use of Aspergillus niger in biotechnological production of biologically active substances and environmental protection.