penicillium

Thân thiện

A wedge of blue cheese shows a patch of blue-green penicillium mold.

Definition

Noun: 1. A genus of fungi: A group of mold fungi that commonly appear as green, blue, or white fuzzy growths on decaying organic matter like food. 2. A source of biotechnology: Certain species within this genus are critically important for producing antibiotics (specifically penicillin) and for fermenting foods, most notably in the creation of some cheeses.

Usage Examples

• The bread was covered in a blue-green penicillium mold and had to be thrown away.
• The specific strain is the primary industrial source of the antibiotic penicillin.
• The characteristic veins in blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola, are created by introducing penicillium cultures during the cheesemaking process.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Classification: The term is capitalized when used as the formal genus name: . In this context, it is often followed by a species name (e.g., ).
  • The species Penicillium camemberti is essential for producing the white rind on Camembert cheese.

Variants and Related Words

• Penicillin (n): The groundbreaking antibiotic substance derived from fungi of the genus.
  • The discovery of penicillin revolutionized modern medicine.

Synonyms

• Mold (n): A more general term for various types of woolly fungal growths, which includes .
• Fungus (n): The broader biological kingdom to which belongs.

Học thuật

Noun

1. genus of fungi commonly growing as green or blue molds on decaying food; used in making cheese and as a source of penicillin

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Penicillium
• genus Penicillium