Exploitation of Fungi for Improved Food Quality

利用真菌提高食品质量

• 批准号: 2746422
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2746422
• 关键词: Exploitation; Fungi; Improved; Food; Quality

Fungi have impacted on human societies for millennia due to both their beneficial but also detrimental properties. Several fungi have been domesticated to serve human needs. These include the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is used in beer and wine production or in bakery products, and the filamentous fungi Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium roqueforti and Penicilium camemberti which are used in food production in Asian cuisine and mould-ripened blue and white cheeses, respectively. Additionally, fungi have been used as biological control agents of pests, and several species have been exploited for the production of valuable secondary metabolites including penicillin and statins. However, phytopathogenic fungi cause severe crop losses and can be accompanied by mycotoxin production, posing a major threat to global food security.The present project has the overall theme of exploiting knowledge of fungal biology and metabolism to improve food quality and security, with subsequent applications in biotechnology. This project specifically aims to make breakthroughs in strain development for the white-cheese mould P. camemberti, and to understand how fungal metabolism impacts on flavour and nutritional aspects of food production. The study organisms are P. camemberti and its wild relative P. commune used in the production of mould-ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, as well as other food products. The fungus is important for imparting flavour and texture (due to enzyme action) and also appearance. This project aims to:(1) Enable breakthrough strain improvement by using classical and genetic techniques to develop new strains, given that with current strains there is the possibility of mycotoxin production and concerns over fat and salt levels. We will draw on expertise from previous and ongoing studies at Nottingham with the related fungus P. roqueforti used in blue cheese production. In this model, molecular tools have been used to induce a natural sexual cycle to allow crossing of different strains and therefore enable the generation of recombinant offspring with potentially novel, and desirable, flavours and metabolic activities. New strain development is also possible via UV mutagenesis. It is anticipated that new strains will improve food quality and safety.(2) Understand links between fungal metabolism and flavour. Enzyme action is critical for mould-ripening of cheeses. However, the genetic and biochemical basis of lipase and protease activity and consequent impacts on metabolism are poorly understood in P. camberti. We will therefore use molecular genetic and bioinformatic approaches to characterise the genes controlling these enzymes and assess whether the fungus can be manipulated via classical and GM approaches to increase the flavour and nutritional values. Work will include the assessment of CRISPR technologies for strain modification. The research has potential applications in both the food and biotechnology industries relating to exploitation of fungi and enzymes.The PhD will offer training in classical microbiology procedures, biochemical experimentation, bioinformatic/genomic and molecular-genetic experimental work, and associated statistical data analysis and computing skills. There will also be a possibility of an industrial placement at a University start-up company 'Myconeos.com', who have interests allied to the project.

真菌对人类社会的影响已有数千年之久，因为它们既有有益的特性，也有有害的特性。已经驯化了几种真菌来满足人类的需求。其中包括用于啤酒和葡萄酒生产或烘焙产品的酵母菌，以及分别用于亚洲烹饪和霉变蓝白奶酪食品生产的丝状真菌米曲霉、罗福青霉和卡门贝蒂青霉。此外，真菌已被用作害虫的生防剂，几种真菌已被开发用于生产有价值的次生代谢产物，包括青霉素和他汀类药物。然而，植物病原真菌会造成严重的农作物损失，并可伴随霉菌毒素的产生，对全球粮食安全构成重大威胁。本项目的总主题是利用真菌生物学和新陈代谢知识来改善粮食质量和安全，并随后在生物技术中应用。该项目旨在为白色干酪霉菌P.camemberti的菌株开发取得突破，并了解真菌代谢如何影响食品生产的风味和营养方面。研究的生物体是P.camemberti和它的野生亲缘P.Comme，用于生产霉菌成熟的奶酪，如布里干酪和Camembert奶酪，以及其他食品。这种真菌对于赋予味道和质地(由于酶的作用)以及外观都很重要。该项目的目标是：(1)通过使用经典和遗传技术开发新的菌株，从而实现突破性的菌株改良，因为现有的菌株可能产生真菌毒素，并对脂肪和盐分水平产生担忧。我们将借鉴诺丁汉先前和正在进行的关于蓝色奶酪生产中使用的相关真菌P.roqueforti的研究的专业知识。在这个模型中，分子工具被用来诱导自然的有性循环，以允许不同菌株的杂交，从而使重组后代的产生具有潜在的新的和理想的味道和代谢活动。通过紫外线诱变也有可能开发新的菌株。预计新菌株将提高食品质量和安全性。(2)了解真菌新陈代谢和风味之间的联系。酶的作用是奶酪霉变成熟的关键。然而，对Camberti脂肪酶和蛋白酶活性的遗传和生化基础以及由此对代谢的影响还知之甚少。因此，我们将使用分子遗传学和生物信息学方法来表征控制这些酶的基因，并评估是否可以通过经典和转基因方法来操纵这种真菌，以增加味道和营养价值。工作将包括评估CRISPR的菌株改造技术。这项研究在与真菌和酶的开发有关的食品和生物技术行业都有潜在的应用。博士学位将提供经典微生物学程序、生化实验、生物信息学/基因组和分子遗传学实验工作以及相关统计数据分析和计算技能的培训。也有可能在大学初创公司Myconeos.com工作，他们有与该项目相关的利益。