The Development and Expanding Role of Fungal Biotechnology

A Special Issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X) belonging to the section "Fungal Genomics, Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 926

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo (EEL-USP), Lorena 12602-810, SP, Brazil
Interests: natural colorants; filamentous fungi; stirred-tank bioreactor; biodegradable films; antioxidant; food package

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Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo (EEL-USP), Lorena 12602-810, SP, Brazil
Interests: lignocellulose substrates; biofuels; value added products; anaerobic conditions; proteomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field that supports a wide range of scientific and technological advances. Fungi constitute highly adaptable biological systems due to their ecological diversity, metabolic versatility, and genetic complexity. This Special Issue aims to present recent progress in fungal biotechnology, encompassing both fundamental and applied research.

Topics of interest include fungal biology, physiology, metabolism, genetics, and ecology, as well as advances in enzyme discovery and production, lignocellulose degradation, biomass valorization, and high-value product biosynthesis. Methodological and technological developments related to strain improvement, cultivation strategies, and bioprocess optimization are also within the scope of this issue. Studies employing modern analytical and systems-level approaches, including omics technologies and data-driven methodologies, are particularly encouraged. By bringing together interdisciplinary contributions,

This Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of current research directions and emerging concepts in fungal biotechnology, highlighting its relevance to basic science and its potential to support future biotechnological innovation across academic, industrial, and environmental research contexts globally.

Dr. Fernanda De Oliveira
Dr. Salvador Sánchez-Muñoz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • fungal biotechnology
  • enzymes
  • lignocellulose
  • biomass valorization
  • fungal metabolism
  • omics technologies
  • bioprocess optimization
  • strain development

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 2058 KB  
Article
Effects of Dynamic Light Regimes on Yield and Quality Properties of Pleurotus pulmonarius Cultivar ‘Jinxiu’
by Bin Yu, Jiling Song, Jiandong Lai, Shuting Xu, Weidong Yuan and Qing Chen
J. Fungi 2026, 12(6), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12060426 - 11 Jun 2026
Viewed by 650
Abstract
Light is a critical environmental cue regulating development and quality in edible fungi, yet the effects of dynamic light regimes (for example, transitions from white to blue light) remain poorly understood. We systematically investigated how white-light pretreatment duration (0, 4, 8, or 12 [...] Read more.
Light is a critical environmental cue regulating development and quality in edible fungi, yet the effects of dynamic light regimes (for example, transitions from white to blue light) remain poorly understood. We systematically investigated how white-light pretreatment duration (0, 4, 8, or 12 h) and two blue-light regimes—B6 (6 h blue followed by white until harvest) and Bc (continuous blue until harvest)—affect fruiting-body development, yield, color, textural properties, and nutritional quality of Pleurotus pulmonarius. The experiment was conducted at a single commercial production facility in Zhejiang Province, China, using the commercial strain P. pulmonarius (cultivar ‘Jinxiu’). Two-way ANOVA revealed significant interactions between white-light pretreatment and blue-light regime for cap a* value (red-green), cap width, cap hardness and chewiness, stipe hardness, number of fruiting bodies, and several nutrient components. All dynamic light regimes reduced cap L* value (lightness) and b* value (yellow-blue); continuous blue (Bc) produced a darker cap. Yield responses to blue-light duration depended on pretreatment: without white pretreatment, Bc outperformed B6, whereas with 4–12 h white pretreatment B6 produced higher yields. Relative to the control (CK), all dynamic regimes significantly increased total free amino acids and essential amino acids. Except for W4B6 and W12B6, all other treatments significantly increased crude protein; total soluble sugar, crude fat, and crude fiber decreased in most treatments compared to CK. These results indicate that an optimized transition from white to blue light can synergistically improve the color, nutritional quality and yield of P. pulmonarius. The W8Bc regime (8 h white pretreatment followed by continuous blue until harvest) produced the highest cap chewiness (21.65 N·mm) and free amino acid content (3110.44 μg·g−1), the darkest cap color, and the top comprehensive score in the entropy-weighted TOPSIS evaluation, despite ranking second in yield and high-quality rate. Under the conditions tested (single cultivar ‘Jinxiu’ at one production base), we recommend the W8Bc light regime as suitable for industrial cultivation of Pleurotus pulmonarius. However, it should be noted that these findings cannot be generalized to the entire species without further validation across multiple strains and multiple locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development and Expanding Role of Fungal Biotechnology)
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