Biotechnological Application of Extremophilic Fungi

Abstract

AbstractWhite biotechnology (BT), a sustainable and eco-friendly technology, has taken precedence over chemical industries in the last few decades. It has revolutionized the industrial BT sector by exploiting abundant natural resources for the production of important commodities benefiting mankind. Industries employ microorganisms or biomolecules extracted from them for production and processing in various industrial areas such as food and feed, beverages, agriculture, pharmaceutical, textile, leather, paper, detergent, polymers, cosmetics, waste management, etc. Despite the advantages, the use of biomolecules is not substantial because they cannot tolerate harsh industrial conditions, which in turn affects the production process. In the last decade, the industrial research focus has shifted toward extremophiles, organisms that can survive extreme conditions. These organisms have evolved defense mechanisms to survive severe conditions such as high or low temperature, salinity, pressure, pH, radiation, and desiccation. Biomolecules extracted from these organisms have robust characteristics to retain optimum activity even under unnatural conditions. A class of eukaryotes called extremophilic fungi are at the crux of this research focus as they are a reservoir of sturdy biomolecules with many industrial applications. Fungal extremozymes can be easily cultured on agro-industrial waste and also easily purified. All these factors make fungal extremozymes an attractive resource for large-scale, cost-effective, and eco-friendly industrial processes. In addition to extremozymes, extremophilic fungi are an abundant resource of potent cytotoxic, antimicrobial drugs. This chapter focuses on various extremophilic fungi used in the BT industry. It also covers the different extremozymes, biomolecules, and secondary metabolites secreted by them and their potential biotechnological applications.KeywordsExtremophilic fungiExtremozymesNatural productsBioactive compoundsBiotechnological applications