Kingdom Fungi Class Eurotiomycetes Order Eurotiales Scientific name Aspergillus aculeatus | Phylum Ascomycota Subclass Eurotiomycetidae Family Trichocomaceae Rank Species | |
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Similar Trichoderma reesei, Aspergillus awamori, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus terreus | ||
Aspergillus aculeatus is a fungus in the family Trichocomaceae. It has been implicated as the causative agent in plant disease. Aspergillus aculeatus is considered to be a ubiquitous species that could be usually isolated from rotting fruits and soil. Morphological characteristics such a color, size, shape and ornamentation of conidia are crucial for the classification of strains of black-spored Aspergillus species. Modern biochemical and molecular identification techniques are helpful in the identification of Aspergillus isolates, as black-spored Aspergillus species may have significant variations in their morphological and physiological characteristics.
Aspergillus could rapidly degrade cell walls of plants they infect, and isolates of A. aculeatus have been used to produce a number of important industrial enzymes, including cellulases, hemicellulases and proteases. These by-products are broadly used in the food and feed industries.
Due to its industrial value, the biochemical and catalytic properties of several hydrolases from A. aculeatus have been extensively studied. Also, structural studies using X-ray crystallography have been carried on several polysaccharide degrading enzymes from Aspergillus aculeatus. (Luis M. Chong L.)