Fungi are important in producing food and drinks
Grains from grasses provide most of the world's food supply for humans. But in most cases, we do not eat these grains directly as they are produced by the plants. Instead, we use them as a source of starch. To make the starch more pleasing and digestible for human consumption, we usually convert it to more complex and tasty forms of food and drink, often with the help of fungi.
Fungi is the plural word for "fungus". A fungus is a eukaryotic organism. Yeasts, moulds and mushrooms are examples of fungi. The study of fungi is called mycology. Like animals, humans and most bacteria, all fungi are heterotrophs. This means that they get their energy by eating organic substances. In contrast, plants get their energy directly from light and for this reason plants are called autotrophs. Although fungi have much more in common with animals than plants, mycology is often seen as a branch of botany.
Most fungi are large enough to be seen with the eye. However, some are microscopic organisms and the study of microscopic fungi is encompassed by the field of microbiology. Some microscopic fungi, for example yeast, are used in the food and drink industry to produce bread, beer and wine. Other fungi are important in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and are used in the production of antibiotics and various enzymes.
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