Penicillium fungi derive their name from the Latin word for paint brush, which is due to the shape of their spore forming organ called the conidiophore. When examined under a microscope, it resembles a paint brush.
Penicillium fungi derive their name from the Latin word for paint brush, which is due to the shape of their spore forming organ called the conidiophore. When examined under a microscope, it resembles a paint brush.
Useful fungus
Penicillium fungi are known as the source of antibiotics - a convenient property accidentally discovered by microbiologist Alexander Fleming back in in 1928. Penicillium roqueforti also produces a number of antibiotics, but is most famous for its use in the food industry.
Blue cheese
In fact, P. roqueforti is absolutely essential in the making of a number of different cheeses, such as Roquefort cheese (hence its name). During the production process, the cheese is punctured by needles, so that oxygen can get all the way to the core of the cheese. P. roqueforti, which is added to the cheese at an early stage, needs this oxygen in order to grow and give the cheese its characteristic flavour, smell and colour. The blue colour is a result of the fungus's spores. Blue cheese, likely containing P. roqueforti, was first described as early as AD 79.
Food gone bad
Penicillium roqueforti is a type of fungus that likes to grow on food, and not always in a manner that we can appreciate. If you leave a piece of bread out for too long, then P. roqueforti will have its way with it. It will create a network of fungal threads , or hyphae, all over the bread as well as inside it, and cause an unpleasant odour.