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Penicillin
In 1928, Sir Alexander
Fleming made an important
discovery. He realised
that the mould
Penicillium
notatum
makes a chemical
that kills bacteria. That
chemical, called penicillin, is
used today as a medicine to
treat many illnesses.
A mushroom under the Malheur National Forest, USA, covers 8.9 square kilometres.
Fungi
Wine:
Yeast turns grape
juice into wine by changing
sugar into alcohol.
Cheese:
Blue cheeses are
made with a mould called
Penicillium roquefortii
.
Soy sauce:
This is made by
adding fungi and yeast to
soy beans and roasted wheat.
Medicine:
Fungi can be
used to cure many diseases
that were once fatal.
Uses of fungi
Fungi have many uses in
the home and in industry.
Pesticide:
Fungi can be an
environmentally friendly
way of killing insects or
weeds.
Yeast
Yeast are microscopic,
single-celled fungi. When
they feed, they turn sugar
into carbon-dioxide gas
and alcohol. Yeast plays
an important part in
bread-making. As it releases
gas, it makes bread rise.
Penicillin on
a petri dish
Shaggy parasol
mushroom
Shaggy cap
mushroom
Common
chantarelle
mushroom
Chicken of the
woods fungus
The bacteria
have retreated
from the
penicillin,
leaving a
clear ring.
Truffles
Truffles are strong-
smelling fungi that grow
underground. They are a
delicacy used in cookery.
Truffle hunters use pigs
and dogs to sniff them out.
Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)
White truffle
Black
perigord
truffle
