Despite the many advances made during the last decade in various aspects of fungal biochemistry, there have been very few volumes devoted to the sub ject in recent years. This lack is all the more surprising in view of the increas ing use of fungi in gene manipulation studies and in biotechnological ap plications, and of the current interest in the biorational discovery of novel agents for the control of fungal pathogens of plants and humans. We hope that this book goes some way to rectifying this situation by providing an up to-date account of selected developments in two important areas, namely cell walls and membranes. Topics included in the book concern both yeasts and filamentous fungi. Although the main emphasis is on biogenesis, functional aspects are also discussed, e.g. the role of glycoproteins in recognition of sterols in mem branes and of calcium in regulation. Several contributions describe in terference with the 'normal' biochemistry of cell walls and membranes with a view to increasing fundamental knowledge, but also highly relevant to the design of new fungicides and antimycotics. The steadily increasing impact of molecular biology on the study of fungal biochemistry is highlighted throughout.

Fungal Lipid Biochemistry explores the intricate biochemistry of fungal and microbial lipids. The book focuses on recent advances in our knowledge about the distribution, classification, and biochemistry of fungal lipids. The book is divided into four sections, starting with an introduction to fungal lipids which includes definition, classification, nomenclature, and some historical aspects of fungal lipid research. This is followed by an overview of fungal lipids, and environmental and nutritional cultural conditions affecting lipid production. The second section contains four chapters that explain the metabolism of fatty acids, their biosynthetic pathways together with their storage mainly in the form of triacylglycerols. The latter includes a key description of the recently discovered lipid droplet acting as a highly specific cellular compartment for the storage of neutral lipids. The third section contains five chapters concerned with the relatively recent interpretation of other major lipid classes which include glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, aliphatic hydrocarbons, sterols, carotenoids, and polyprenols and their occurrence and biosynthesis. The final section covers lipid metabolism during fungal development and sporulation. Key features - Extensive coverage of fungal lipid biochemistry, with a focus on recent knowledge - Includes chapters for specific lipid classes with notes on their metabolism - Gives knowledge about the role of lipids in fungal growth and development - Provides references for further reading This book is a comprehensive reference for academics, scientific researchers, and industrial scientists (in biotechnology, food science and nutritional health) who require information about fungal lipid composition and biochemistry.

This text presents the latest advances in supercritical fluid technology, biocatalysis, bioprocess engineering, and crop breeding. It offers an in-depth review of the most recent principles and approaches utilized in the development and design of lipids for cosmetic, industrial and pharmaceutical, and food products. Discussing a variety of lipid-active enzymes from animal, plant, fungal, and microbial sources, "Lipid Biotechnology" covers modern techniques in genetic engineering for the modification of conventional oilseed crops and biosynthetic pathways for cutin polymers, flavor volatiles, oxylipins, and terpenoid compounds. It chronicles the use of lipases and phospholipases in the creation of structured lipids and fats, including cocoa butter, low-calorie fats, and Betapol, and emerging methods using supercritical carbon dioxide as a benign solvent for lipid analysis, fractionation, and enzymatic reaction. It also covers reaction conditions, reactor design, solvent selection, immobilization technology, and enzyme sources for optiml large-scale manufacturing, and describes the formation of oxylipins through the lipoxygenase pathway, as well as other unusual fatty acids. The authors provide in-depth analyses of the structure, metabolic and enzymatic functions and mechanisms, defensive and catalytic properties, industrial uses, and other applications of oxilipins and lipases.

With the development of highly sophisticated analytical techniques and instrumentation during the past 15-20 years, progress in the field of lipid biochemistry has been greatly accelerated. Within this period, there has been an increasing volume of information concerning the distribution and metabolism of lipids in animals and, more recently, in plants. The fungi have played an important role in studies concerning the biochemistry of lipids and, in this text, they are treated separately from the photosynthetic plants. This book is concerned with distribution and bio chemistry of lipids in fungi. The text is divided into three sections, beginning with an introduction to fungallipids which includes total lipid abundances in fungal cells and cell fractions and cultural conditions influencing lipid production. In the second section, each chapter deals with the distribution andjor metabolism of a single lipid class as it occurs in fungi. Comparisons with plants and animals are also included. Six major lipid classes are covered which include the aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, sterols, triacylglycerols, glycerophosphatides, and sphingolipids. The third section contains two chapters concerned with the physiology and ultrastructure of fungal spore formation and germination with particular emphasis on lipids. Although this book is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the literature, the information presented is compiled from over 1000 articles, most of which were published during the past 10-12 years.

This book provides a comprehensive overview on biotechnological applications of unicellular and multicellular fungi in a variety of industrial branches. Targeted genetic and metabolic engineering of fungi allows production of native and transgenic enzymes and proteins in industrial scales. Those most prominently find application in biorefineries for the production of value-added chemicals and biofuels, in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in biomedicine. Each chapter is dedicated to applications and potential beneficial use of particular strains of yeasts and filamentous fungi and their produced biomolecules. The book targets researchers from both academia and industry and graduate students working in microbial biotechnology.

In this second edition, Edwin Frankel has updated and extended his now well-known book Lipid oxidation which has come to be regarded as the standard work on the subject since the publication of the first edition seven years previously. His main objective is to develop the background necessary for a better understanding of what factors should be considered, and what methods and lipid systems should be employed, to achieve suitable evaluation and control of lipid oxidation in complex foods and biological systems. The oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids is one of the most fundamental reactions in lipid chemistry. When unsaturated lipids are exposed to air, the complex, volatile oxidation compounds that are formed cause rancidity. This decreases the quality of foods that contain natural lipid components as well as foods in which oils are used as ingredients. Furthermore, products of lipid oxidation have been implicated in many vital biological reactions, and evidence has accumulated to show that free radicals and reactive oxygen species participate in tissue injuries and in degenerative disease. Although there have been many significant advances in this challenging field, many important problems remain unsolved. This second edition of Lipid oxidation follows the example of the first edition in offering a summary of the many unsolved problems that need further research. The need to understand lipid oxidation is greater than ever with the increased interest in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, the reformulation of oils to avoid hydrogenation and trans fatty acids, and the enormous attention given to natural phenolic antioxidants, including flavonoids and other phytochemicals.