Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering

This volume, Filamentous Fungi Biorefinery, is the newest addition to the Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering series. It begins with the classification of filamentous fungi and the roles they play in natural ecosystems, then shows how these organisms are already used in biotechnological processes, which underlines why they matter.

Readers get a close look at fungal biology, including the structure and makeup of these organisms and their capacity to grow on many different substrates. The author also examines fungal morphology and explains how physical form affects the integration of fungi into industrial production.

A large part of the book surveys the goods fungi can yield, among them animal feed and food, alcohols, organic acids, pigments, enzymes, antibiotics and biopolymers. For each, it reviews how far the approach has advanced when the raw material is cheap or waste-derived, identifies gaps in current research, and suggests directions for future work.

The text is presented as the first book devoted to using filamentous fungi for process development in waste management. It also explores how laboratory findings can be carried into industrial operations and commercial products, and it offers current information on the research and application areas that could benefit from fungal integration.