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Review
. 2021 Jun 22;8(1):52.
doi: 10.1186/s40643-021-00408-z.

The ancient koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) as a modern biotechnological tool

Ghoson M Daba  1 , Faten A Mostafa  2 , Waill A Elkhateeb  3
Affiliations
Review

The ancient koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) as a modern biotechnological tool

Ghoson M Daba et al. Bioresour Bioprocess. .

Abstract

Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) is a filamentous micro-fungus that is used from centuries in fermentation of different foods in many countries all over the world. This valuable fungus is also a rich source of many bioactive secondary metabolites. Moreover, A. oryzae has a prestigious secretory system that allows it to secrete high concentrations of proteins into its culturing medium, which support its use as biotechnological tool in veterinary, food, pharmaceutical, and industrial fields. This review aims to highlight the significance of this valuable fungus in food industry, showing its generosity in production of nutritional and bioactive metabolites that enrich food fermented by it. Also, using A. oryzae as a biotechnological tool in the field of enzymes production was described. Furthermore, domestication, functional genomics, and contributions of A. oryzae in functional production of human pharmaceutical proteins were presented. Finally, future prospects in order to get more benefits from A. oryzae were discussed.

Keywords: Aspergillus oryzae; Enzymes; Food industry; Functional genomics; Secondary metabolites.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Morphology of Aspergillus oryzae: A under microscope, B cultivated on potato dextrose agar medium
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Some secondary metabolites produced by A. oryzae
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Some secondary metabolites produced by A. oryzae
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Some secondary metabolites produced by A. oryzae
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Efficient strategies for fungal transformation conducted for functional genomic investigation
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Schematic presentations showing model for conidiation regulation in A. oryzae as proposed by Ogawa et al., (a); and central regulatory pathway in Aspergillus fumigatus conidiation as proposed by Yu, (b)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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