Edition 2/96

BCCM™/MUCL: AGRO-INDUSTRIAL FUNGI AND YEASTS

Last May, the BCCM™/MUCL collection attracted a new curator: Dr Wendy Untereiner came all the way from Canada to take up her new responsibilities in the Mycothèque de l’Université catholique de Louvain.

WU: Fungi, including yeasts, constitute an enormous group of organisms characterized by their form of growth and mode of nutrition. Unlike plants, fungi are incapable of photosynthesis and must absorb nutrients from the environment. Fungi and yeasts occur wherever sufficient organic material and moisture exist to support their growth and reproduction. They are essentially ubiquitous.

What types of fungi are held in the BCCM™/MUCL?

WU: Our culture collection houses representatives of all major groups of fungi, including ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, hyphomycetes and zygomycetes. At this moment, the BCCM™/MUCL holds approximately 25 000 strains covering almost 1 000 different genera. The herbarium contains about 40 000 specimens.

We are particularly interested in species of agro-industrial importance. For example, our collection holds a historically significant collection of species of Penicillium. The BCCM™/MUCL also houses cultures used in the making of bio-pesticides, enzymes and fermented foods, standard strains employed for biodeterioration and biodegradation tests, and a collection of brewery yeasts.

WU: Our major activities pertain to acquiring, conserving and distributing strains of fungi and yeasts. In addition, the collection’s staff are involved in services, research and education. For example, the BCCM™/MUCL services include the long term patent and safe deposit of cultures and the isolation and identification of strains(1). Our clients include private individuals, universities, governmental agencies and industries.

The research projects that we conduct for third parties vary from the isolation and screening of strains for potential new products like enzymes, (phyto)pharmaceuticals and so on, to the testing of resistance to microbial contamination.

Besides these tailor-made research projects, we also conduct independent research. Studies in progress at the BCCM™/MUCL include an investigation of fungi involved in wood decay, the optimization of edible mushroom production and the development of automated fungi identification systems. And, because we are committed to the training of future mycologists, our researchers include doctoral and diploma students.

WU: Apart from expanding the collection we are continuing with the lyophization and cryopreservation of all strains currently housed at the BCCM™/MUCL. These quality-assurance programmes will ensure that most, if not all of the strains in our collection will be conserved using the most efficient long-term preservation techniques. We also recently established facilities for the molecular characterization of fungi and yeasts and have initiated programmes employing biomolecular techniques in our educational, research and service portfolios.

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(1) See BCCM™ News issue 0.

Contact: Dr Wendy Untereiner, BCCM™/MUCL
E-mail: untereiner@mbla.ucl.ac.be
Tel: +32 10 47 37 42
Fax: +32 10 45 15 01

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