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Industrial microbiology is one branch of applied microbiology where microbes are used to produce important products such as metabolic manufacture, biotransformation, manufacture of energy (bio-fuels), management of organic and industrial wastes, manufacture of microbial biomass (microbial protein) for food and feed, manufacture of bio-control agents (antibiotics) and fermentation of food products. Microbial food processing is used to transform simple food into a value-added form with the assistance of microbes. In addition, it involves converting low-value, often inedible, perishable natural resources into high-value, safe food products. Since antiquity, mankind have used microbes to produce a variety of food products such as dairy products, bread, vinegar, wine and beer, as well as fermented seafood, meat and vegetables. There are many useful applications of microbes in the food processing industry, which have a strong influence on the quality and quantity of food. Recently, microbial approaches of food processing have garnered global attention as a workable method to food conservation and a good source of vital nutrients. Microbial contamination of food commodities typically occurs between the field and the processing plant or during processing, storage, transportation and distribution or prior to consumption. Consequently, microbes are being considered as very significant elements in food manufacturing, food quality maintenance and food safety. In this chapter, we focus on the beneficial roles of microorganisms, the applications of microorganisms in the food industry and the risks of microbial contamination.

Fungal enzymes that catalyze different types of biochemical reactions play a significant role in modern industry by improving existing processes. Also, the use of enzymes to replace some traditional toxic chemical or mechanical approaches helps decrease energy demand and environmental pollution. However, enzymes must be able to compete commercially with relatively low-priced traditional approaches. Meeting economical and commercial feasibility criteria depends on a number of enzymatic properties including the specificity to the substrate, stability in industrial enzymatic reaction conditions and catalytic efficiency. Fungi used as an enzyme manufacture host should be appropriate for industrial scale fermentation. Aspergillus species are being developed as one of the best enzyme manufacture factories due to their capability to secrete high quantities of enzymes suitable for industrial applications. The industrial importance of Aspergillus species also includes the progress and commercialization of new products derived from genetically engineered modified strains. Hence, the main aim of this chapter investigation is to analyze the secreted and cellular proteins from Aspergillus species and their application in industries.

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Background and Purpose: Soil bacteria have extreme population diversity among natural sources and are able to produce a wide array of antifungal metabolites. This study aimed to isolate and identify the bioactive metabolite-producing bacteria from forest soils and evaluate their antimicrobial potent against some pathogenic organisms. Materials and Methods: In this study, soil samples were screened for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus on glucose-yeast extract (GY) agar using a visual agar plate assay method. All growing bacteria were examined for antifungal activity, and antagonistic bacteria were identified based on 16S ribosomal RNA sequence analysis. For optimization of the production of antifungal bioactive metabolites, inhibitory bacteria were cultured on different culture conditions, including media, pH, temperature, and incubation time. Results: In total, 110 bacterial strains were isolated from the forest soils and four species with high antifungal activity were identified as Streptomyces libani, Streptomyces angustmyceticus, Bacillus subtilis, and Sphingopyxis spp. on the basis of 16s ribosomal RNA sequencing. Dichloromethane extract of the starch casein broth culture filtrate of the S. libani (incubated at 30° C for five days) showed strong antifungal activity against A. fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. Conclusion: Based on the results, forest soils contain organisms with antifungal activity and could be considered as a good source for novel antifungal metabolites as effective and safe therapeutics.

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This chapter discusses antifungal lead compounds derived from plants that have potential applications for controlling foodborne fungi. These compounds include essential oils, phytoalexins, defensins, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids and saponins. A discussion on potential antifungal compounds obtained from various moulds, bacteria and actinomycetes is also included.