Editing Penicillium (section)

== Economic value ==
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Several species of the genus ''Penicillium'' play a central role in the production of cheese and of various meat products. To be specific, ''Penicillium'' molds are found in [[blue cheese]]. ''[[Penicillium camemberti]]'' and ''[[Penicillium roqueforti]]'' are the molds on [[Camembert]], [[Brie]], [[Roquefort]], and many other cheeses. ''[[Penicillium nalgiovense]]'' is used in soft mold-ripened cheeses, such as Nalžovy (ellischau) cheese, and to improve the taste of sausages and hams, and to prevent colonization by other molds and bacteria.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mrázek J, Pachlová V, Buňka F, Černíková M, Dráb V, Bejblová M, Staněk K, Buňková L | title = Effects of different strains Penicillium nalgiovense in the Nalžovy cheese during ripening | journal = Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture | volume = 96 | issue = 7 | pages = 2547–2554 | date = May 2016 | pmid = 26251231 | doi = 10.1002/jsfa.7375 | bibcode = 2016JSFA...96.2547M }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Marianski S, Mariański A  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uzSvCdVqYwC&pg=PA47 |title=The Art of Making Fermented Sausages |date=2009 |publisher=Bookmagic LLC |isbn=978-0-9824267-1-5 |pages=47 |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to their importance in the food industry, species of ''Penicillium'' and ''Aspergillus'' serve in the production of a number of biotechnologically produced [[enzyme]]s and other macromolecules, such as [[gluconic acid|gluconic]], [[citric acid|citric]], and [[tartaric acid]]s, as well as several [[pectinase]]s, [[lipase]], [[amylase]]s, [[cellulase]]s, and [[protease]]s. Some ''Penicillium'' species have shown potential for use in [[bioremediation]], more specifically [[mycoremediation]], because of their ability to break down a variety of [[Environmental xenobiotic|xenobiotic compounds]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Leitão AL | title = Potential of Penicillium species in the bioremediation field | journal = International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | volume = 6 | issue = 4 | pages = 1393–1417 | date = April 2009 | pmid = 19440525 | pmc = 2681198 | doi = 10.3390/ijerph6041393 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

The genus includes a wide variety of species molds that are the source molds of major [[antibiotic]]s. [[Penicillin]], a drug produced by ''[[Penicillium chrysogenum|P.&nbsp;chrysogenum]] (formerly P.&nbsp;notatum),'' was accidentally discovered by [[Alexander Fleming]] in 1929, and found to inhibit the growth of [[Gram-positive]] bacteria (see [[beta-lactams]]). Its potential as an antibiotic was realized in the late 1930s, and [[Howard Florey]] and [[Ernst Chain]] purified and concentrated the compound. The drug's success in saving soldiers in World War II who had been dying from infected wounds resulted in Fleming, Florey and Chain jointly winning the [[Nobel Prize in Medicine]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Rifkind D, Freeman G |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d3wdy3b9VUkC&pg=PA43 |title=The Nobel Prize Winning Discoveries in Infectious Diseases |date=2005-05-20 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-045957-8 |pages=43–46 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Griseofulvin]] is an [[antifungal drug]] and a potential [[chemotherapeutic agent]]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Singh P, Rathinasamy K, Mohan R, Panda D | title = Microtubule assembly dynamics: an attractive target for anticancer drugs | journal = IUBMB Life | volume = 60 | issue = 6 | pages = 368–375 | date = June 2008 | pmid = 18384115 | doi = 10.1002/iub.42 }}</ref> that was discovered in ''[[Penicillium griseofulvum|P.&nbsp;griseofulvum]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = De Carli L, Larizza L | title = Griseofulvin | journal = Mutation Research | volume = 195 | issue = 2 | pages = 91–126 | date = March 1988 | pmid = 3277037 | doi = 10.1016/0165-1110(88)90020-6 }}</ref> Additional species that produce compounds capable of inhibiting the growth of tumor cells ''[[in vitro]]'' include: ''[[Penicillium pinophilum|P.&nbsp;pinophilum]]'',<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Nicoletti R, Manzo E, Ciavatta ML |date=March 2009 |title=Occurence and bioactivities of funicone-related compounds[sic] |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=1430–1444 |doi=10.3390/ijms10041430 |pmc=2680625 |pmid=19468317 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ''[[Penicillium canescens|P.&nbsp;canescens]]'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal | vauthors = Nicoletti R, Buommino E, De Filippis A, Lopez-Gresa MP, Manzo E, Carella A, Petrazzuolo M, Tufano MA |date=2008-02-01 |title=Bioprospecting for antagonistic Penicillium strains as a resource of new antitumor compounds |journal=World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology |language=en |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=189–195 |doi=10.1007/s11274-007-9455-y |issn=1573-0972}}</ref> and ''[[Penicillium glabrum|P.&nbsp;glabrum]]''.<ref name=":0" />