ABSTRACT
Fungi have been a great boon to humankind, making possible the production of cheeses and alcoholic beverages, and for driving the fermentation process involved in many manufacturing processes, providing a source of food in the form of edible mushrooms, puffballs, and the much sought after trufes, making antibiotics such as the penicillins and others, and being involved in the production of citric acid, an important food preservative. Many species, however, produce mycotoxins that constitute a threat to human health and agriculture by contaminating grain crops and because of their toxicity to most mammals and avians.
