MICROORGANISMS IMPORTANT IN

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY

BAS513

Dr. Neetu Kumra Taneja

Lecture 2

 Food Microbiologist/Food Safety expert

must be acquainted with the m/os
important in foods- atleast to the extent of
identifying main types and make use of
their characteristics.
Main m/os:
FUNGI: Molds and Yeasts
BACTERIA:
VIRUSES:

The Characteristics of Fungi

Cell wall present, composed of cellulose and/or chitin.

Food storage - generally in the form of lipids and glycogen.
Eukaryotes - true nucleus and other organelles present.
Most fungi require water and oxygen (obligate aerobes).
Rumen Fungi- Anaerobic- Division Neocallimastigomycota
Genus: Neocallimastix, Anaeromyces, Coecomyces, Piromyces
Lack mitochiondria, Have hydrogenosomes (oxidize NADH to NAD,
release H2)

Fungi grow in almost every habitat imaginable, as long as there

is some type of organic matter present (Heterotrophic) and the
environment is not too extreme.
Diverse group, number of described species is somewhere
between 69,000 to 100,000 (estimated 1.5 million species
total).

Morphological Characteristics of Molds

Grow on food as fuzzy cottony
appearance: sometimes colored.

Molds- agents of food spoilage

(rendering food unfit to eat), food
poisoning (aflatoxins) or useful in
manufacture of foods (eg: ripened
cheese- blue, roquefort, camembert, brie
etc; soy sauce; products s.a amylase
(bread), invertase (confectionary), citric
acid (beverages)
Body form
filamentous (tube-like strands called
hypha or hyphae (submerged/aerial)
mycelium = aggregate of hyphae
sclerotium = hardened mass of
mycelium that generally serves as an
overwintering stage-heat resistance
fruit bodies (mushrooms)

The Characteristics of Fungi

Fungus is often hidden from view. It grows
through its food source (substratum), excretes
extracellular digestive enzymes, and absorbs
dissolved food.
Indeterminate clonal growth.
Vegetative phase of fungus is generally
sedentary/non-motile.

fruiting bodies

both are
composed
of hyphae

mycelium

Hyphae
Tubular
Hard wall of
chitin/cellulose
Crosswalls may form
compartments (
cells)
Multinucleate
Grow at tips

Modifications of hyphae

The Characteristics of Fungi

Heterotrophy - 'other food'
Saprophytes or saprobes - feed on dead
tissues or organic waste (decomposers)
Symbionts - mutually beneficial
relationship between a fungus and
another organism
Parasites - feeding on living tissue of a
host.
Parasites that cause disease are called
pathogens.

Heterotrophic by Absorption

Fungi get carbon from organic sources

Hyphal tips release enzymes
Enzymatic breakdown of substrate
Products diffuse back into hyphae

Nucleus hangs back

and directs

Product diffuses back

into hypha and is used

Fungi as Saprobes and Decomposers

Fungi as Symbionts (Mutualism)

Mycorrhizae
Fungus roots
Mutualism between:
Fungus (nutrient & water uptake for plant)
Plant (carbohydrate for fungus)

Several kinds
Zygomycota hyphae invade root cells
Ascomycota & Basidiomycota hyphae invade root but
dont penetrate cells

Extremely important ecological role of fungi!

Ectomycorrhizae

Russula
mushroom
mycorrhizas on
Western
Hemlock root

Fungal hyphae
around root and
between cells

Mycorrhiza cross sections

Lichens
Mutualism between
Fungus structure
Alga or cyanobacterium
provides food
Lichens are natures biological
monitors of pollution and air
quality
Some species more sensitive to
pollution
Most resistant species can also
be analyzed for pollutants,
including bioaccumulation of
heavy metals and radioactive
isotopes

Fungi as Parasites & Pathogens

Fungi are Spore-ific!!!

Molds can grow from
transplanted piece of mycelium
Reproduction asexual spores
(product of mitosis) or sexual
spores (product of meiosis).
Purpose of Spores
Allows the fungus to move to
new food source.
Resistant stage - allows fungus
to survive periods of adversity.
Means of introducing new
genetic combinations into a
population

Reproduce by spores
Spores are reproductive cells
Sexual (meiotic in origin)
Asexual (mitotic in origin)

Formed:
Directly on hyphae
Inside sporangia
Fruiting bodies

Penicillium hyphae
with conidia
Pilobolus sporangia
Amanita fruiting body

Spores
Asexual Spores
Conidia
Arthrospores
Sporangiospores
Chlamydospore

Sexual Spores
Oospores
Zygospore
Ascospores

Hyphal growth from spore

germinating
spore

mycelium

Mycelia have a huge surface area

Generalized Life Cycle of a Fungus

Evolution of the fungi

asci

basidia

zygosporangia
motile spores

Classification
& Phylogeny

Chytridiomycota chytrids
Simple fungi
Produce motile spores zoospores
Mostly saprobes and
parasites in aquatic
habitats
Could just as well be
Protists

Chytridium growing on spores

Chytriomyces growing on pine pollen

Zygomycota zygote fungi

Rhizopus on strawberries

Sexual Reproduction zygosporangia

Asexual reprod. common
(sporangia bags of asexual
spores)
Hyphae have no cross walls
Grow rapidly
Decomposers, pathogens, and
some form mycorrhizal
associations with plants
Eg: Rhizopus, Mucor,
Thamnidium
Rhinocerebral zygomycosis

Sexual zygsporangium
with one zygospore

Asexual sporangium
with spores inside

Life cycle of Rhizopus

 Rhizopus:
Non-septate hyphae with stolons and rhizoids.
Sporangiophores typically develop clusters from stolons at
point of origin of rhizoids.
Spoilage: Bread mold, soft rot of fruits and veg.
Uses: Production of enzymes-pectinases, production of
fermented foods like bonkrek, tempeh

Mucor:
Non-septate hyphae that give rise to sporangiophores that
bear columella with sporangium at apex.
No rhizoids or stolons
Spoilage: Causes whiskers of beef, black spot of frozen
mutton
Uses: Production of lipase enzyme (M. miehei),
fermentation of veg., soya whey curd.

Ascomycota sac fungi

Sexual Reproduction asci
(sing. = ascus)
Asex. Reprod. common
(conidia)
Eg: Cup fungi, morels,
truffles
Emericella (formerly Pen.),
Eurotium (formerly Asp.).
Important plant parasites &
saprobes
Yeast - Saccharomyces
A cluster of asci with spores inside
Decomposers, pathogens,
and found in most lichens

Sac fungi diversity

Basidiomycota club fungi

Sexual Reproduction basidia

Asexual reprod not so common
Long-lived dikaryotic mycelia
Rusts & smuts plant pathogens
Mushrooms, polypores,
puffballs, boletes, birds nest
fungi
Enzymes decompose wood,
leaves, and other organic
materials
Decomposers, pathogens, and
some form mycorrhizal
associations with plants
SEM of basidia and spores

Hyphal fusion mycelium and fruiting

body are dikaryotic
of haploid
mycelia

haploid
mycelium

Mushroom Life
Cycle
N
Meiosis

2N

N+N

Nuclear
fusion in
basidium
young basidia - the
only diploid cells

Some fungi have more than one scientific

name Why?
Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph),
typically a fruiting body (e.g., Morchella esculenta,
Agaricus brunescens).
Anamorph: an asexual reproductive stage (morph),
often mold-like (e.g. Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium
solani). When a single fungus produces multiple
morphologically distinct anamorphs, they are called
synanamorphs.
Holomorph: the whole fungus, including all
anamorphs and the teleomorph.

Deuteromycota Form Phylum Imperfect

Fungi
Fungi that seldom or never reproduce
sexually.
Asexual reproduction by vegetative growth
and production of asexual spores common.
Eg. Alternaria, Aspergillus, Aureobasidium,
Botrytis, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Penicillium.

 Aspergillus:
Chains of conidia (spores) produced- yellowgreen-black color; Perfect stage is in Emericella,
Eurotium,
Are xerophillic, Spoilage of jams & jellies
Spoilage: Causes Black Rot of peaches, citrus;
spoilage of oils
Fermentation of fish, Enzyme productionamylases, invertase, lipase, pectinase.
Poisoning- Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin etc.

 Penicillium:
Broom like conidiophores bearing conidia (color:
blue-blue-green)
Perfect stage: Talaromyces or Eupenicillum
Spoilage: Fruit juices & concentrates, Heat
resistant spores; Blue & green mold rots of citrus
fruits, apples etc.
Fermentation of Blue Cheese (P. roqueforti)
Mycotoxins: Cirtinin, Ochratoxxin A etc.

 Fusarium:

Sickle shaped conidia produced

Causes Brown rot of citrus, Soft rot of figs
Field fungi on barley & wheat grains
Produce mycotoxins: Zearalenone, Fumonisins,
Trichothecenes.

Alternaria:

Cross and longitudinal septa, brown conidia.

Causes brown to black rots of stone fruits, apples, figs
Field fungus of wheat
Few sp. Produce mycotoxins

Aureobasidium or Pullularia:
Produce yeast-like colonies initially
Black spot in long stored beef
Enzyme- Pullulanase

 Colletotrichum:
Produces anthracnose (brown/black spots)
on some fruits esp. tropical fruits mangoes &
papayas

Botytis:
Most common Botrytis cinerea
Gray mold rot of apples, pears, raspberries

Trichothecium:
Pink rot of fruits, Soft rot of cucurbits
Few produce mycotoxins

Yeasts
Single celled fungi
Divide by budding or fission
Adapted to wide pH ranges

Candida

Plant saps
Sucrose solutions (55-60%)
Moist animal tissues
18% Ethanol

Eg: Saccharomyces, Candida,

Torulaspora,
Zygosaccharomyces
Saccharomyces