Mycology, the study of fungi, originated as a subdiscipline of botany and was a descrip tive discipline, largely neglected as an experimental science until the early years of this century. A seminal paper by Blakeslee in 1904 provided evidence for self incompatibility, termed "heterothallism", and stimulated interest in studies related to the control of sexual reproduction in fungi by mating-type specificities. Soon to follow was the demonstration that sexually reproducing fungi exhibit Mendelian inheritance and that it was possible to conduct formal genetic analysis with fungi. The names Burgeff, Kniep and Lindegren are all associated with this early period of fungal genetics research. These studies and the discovery of penicillin by Fleming, who shared a Nobel Prize in 1945, provided further impetus for experimental research with fungi. Thus began a period of interest in mutation induction and analysis of mutants for biochemical traits. Such fundamental research, conducted largely with Neurospora crassa, led to the one gene: one enzyme hypothesis and to a second Nobel Prize for fungal research awarded to Beadle and Tatum in 1958. Fundamental research in biochemical genetics was extended to other fungi, especially to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and by the mid-1960s fungal systems were much favored for studies in eukaryotic molecular biology and were soon able to compete with bacterial systems in the molecular arena.

This book provides recent developments and future perspectives of pulp and paper processing based on biotechnology to replace conventional environmental unfriendly chemical processes. The use of microorganism and microbial enzymes in various processes such as bleaching, deinking, refining, dissolving pulp, debarking & pitch removal, slime control, wastewater treatment and waste material valorisation are discussed.

Contents: Introduction, Bleaching Technologies, Genomic Repression, New Food Crops, Soil Biotechnology, Polluted Soil, Bioinsecticides, Absorption of the Heavy Metal, Biological Removal of Heavy Metals, Biological Treatment of Polluted Soil, Bio- Treatment of Water, Waste Water Treatment, Conserving Plants in Danger, Algal Conservation, Bio-Conservation, Cytokines in Agriculture.

The use of bacteria or enzymes or biological agents in the removal of color is termed as biobleaching. The employment of various chemicals in manufacturing processes of paper, clothes, coir, jute pose several harsh effects on the environment. In today's world of increasing awareness on environmental safety, the use of nature's selected agents can serve as a safe alternative promising a better world for the future generations.Research in the field of biobleaching has examined the use of several enzymes produced by bacteria or fungi or biotechnology or microbes themselves or even a cocktail of nature's harvest as microbes and their enzymes to remove color.This book serves to address various aspects of this field including the history, research conducted, various agents used for biobleaching and also present a merit-demerit analysis and scope of the subject. The authors seek to do their part to environmental safety as this book offers a comprehensive account of the use of nature's agents in decolorization, thereby, leaving a world with color for generations ahead.

Published since 1959, Advances in Applied Microbiology continues to be one of the most widely read and authoritative review sources in microbiology. The series contains comprehensive reviews of the most current research in applied microbiology. Recent areas covered include bacterial diversity in the human gut, protozoan grazing of freshwater biofilms, metals in yeast fermentation processes and the interpretation of host-pathogen dialogue through microarrays. Eclectic volumes are supplemented by thematic volumes on various topics, including Archaea and sick building syndrome. Impact factor for 2011: 5.233. . - Contributions from leading authorities - Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Lignocellulosics: Renewable Feedstock for (Tailored) Functional Materials and Nanotechnology gives a comprehensive overview of recent advances in using lignocellulosic substrates in materials science and nanotechnology. The functionalization and processing of lignocellulosics are described via a number of examples that cover films, gels, sensors, pharmaceutics and energy storage. In addition to the research related to functional cellulose nanomaterials, there has been an increased interest in research on lignin and lignocellulosics. This book explains how utilizing biomaterials as a raw material allows ambitious reconstruction of smart materials that are green and multifunctional. As lignin as a valuable material has gained a lot of attention in the last few years, shifting from purely extraction and fundamental characterization, and now also focusing on the preparation of exciting materials, such as nanoparticles, readers will find this to be a comprehensive resource on the topic. - Provides a detailed description of functional lignocellulosic materials and their properties - Brings together research advances in the areas of chemistry, chemical engineering, physics and materials science - Concentrates on the fundamental properties of lignocellulose - Includes unique coverage of lignin research

This excellent book covers wide-ranging topics in interdisciplinary microbiology, addressing various research aspects and highlighting advanced discoveries and innovations. It presents the fascinating topic of modern biotechnology, including agricultural microbiology, microalgae biotechnology, bio-energy, bioinformatics and metagenomics, environmental microbiology, enzyme technology and marine biology. It presents the most up-to-date areas of microbiology with an emphasis on shedding light on biotechnological advancements and integrating these interdisciplinary microbiology research topics into other biotechnology sub-disciplines. The book raises awareness of the industrial relevance of microbiology, which is key component of this unique collection. The topics include production of antioxidant-glutathione, enzyme-engineering methods, probiotic microbiology and features of microbial xylanases. It also covers some other remarkable aspects of microbiology, like potential health hazards in recreational water and fullerene nanocomposites, which are vital for biotechnological interventions. This book will be valuable resource for senior undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and other interested professionals or groups working in the interdisciplinary areas of microbiology and biotechnology.