Exploitation of Fungi for 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.