Acute inflammation is the result of a complex signal transduction pathway that protects and heals our body and is necessary for our good health and normal wellbeing. Whereas, chronic inflammation can be correlated well with the onset of a plethora of autoimmune disorders; rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus and polymyalgia, rheumatic and other diseases like asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases, cardiovascular disorders, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Also, it has been reported to be associated with the onset of various cancers. An effective anti-inflammatory drug should be able to inhibit the development of chronic inflammation without interfering in normal homeostasis. A number of herbal drugs have been identified in the past that can target inflammatory cytokines. Among these, Ganoderma lucidum: a powerful medicinal mushroom has been found to possess immune-modulating and immune-potentiating capabilities and has been characterized as a wonder herb. This review mainly focuses on the molecular mechanism of anti-inflammatory and antiallergic action of this mushroom and also sheds light on various patent studies related to its pharmacological action.

Fungal gluco-amylase is required for the production of sugars from starchy substrates. Commercially available fungal gluco-amylase is quite costly which makes the process uneconomical. This study was undertaken to standardize physico-chemical parameters for optimum production of gluco-amylases from spp. Two fungal cultures, i.e., and , were compared for gluco-amylase activity both under stationary and shake flask conditions. Among two fungal cultures, maximum gluco-amylase activity was shown by (243.09 U/ml) under stationary conditions as compared to (126.34 U/ml). Gluco-amylase activity of increases by 42.48% from 243.09 to 346.35 U/ml after optimization using response surface methodology, whereby a substrate concentration of 7%, yeast extract 0.25%, temperature 32.5 °C and pH 5.5 were found to be optimum for gluco-amylase production. Crude enzyme was compared with commercial enzyme and it was found that when 500 U of Glucoamylase ex. were inoculated into starch-supplemented minimal media (SSMM) liquefied using 2 g of fungal diastase, it increases the reducing sugar concentration from 2.19 to 21.15 mg/ml and a saccharification efficiency of 77.7% was achieved, whereas 1.5 ml of crude enzyme (extracted from) was able to produce 14.46 mg/ml of reducing sugars with a saccharification efficiency of 53.2%.

Objective:The present review highlights the advantages of using natural colorant over the synthetic one. We have discussed the fermentation parameters that can enhance the productivity of Monascus pigment on agricultural wastes.Background: Food industry is looking for natural colours because these can enhance the esthetic value, attractiveness, and acceptability of food while remaining nontoxic. Many synthetic food colours (Azorubine Carmoisine, quinoline) have been prohibited due to their toxicity and carcinogenicity. Increasing consumer awareness towards the food safety has forced the manufacturing industries to look for suitable alternatives. In addition to safety, natural colorants have been found to have nutritional and therapeutic significance. Among the natural colorants, microbial pigments can be considered as a viable option because of scalability, easier production, no seasonal dependence, cheaper raw materials and easier extraction. Fungi such as Monascus have a long history of safety and therefore can be used for production of biopigments. Method:The present review summarizes the predicted biosynthetic pathways and pigment gene clusters in Monascus purpureus. Results:The challenges faced during the pilot-scale production of Monascus biopigment and taming it by us of low-cost agro-industrial substrates for solid state fermentation has been suggested. Conclusion:Keeping in mind, therapeutic properties of Monascus pigments and their derivatives, they have huge potential for industrial and pharmaceutical application.

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