Fungi make a fundamental contribution to several biotechnological processes, including brewing, winemaking, and the production of enzymes, organic acids, alcohols, antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals. The present review explores the biotechnological importance of the filamentous yeast-like fungus Geotrichum candidum, a ubiquitous species known for its use as a starter in the dairy industry. To uncover G. candidum's biotechnological role, we performed a search for related work through the scientific indexing internet services, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The following query was used: Geotrichum candidum, producing about 6500 scientific papers from 2017 to 2022. From these, approximately 150 that were associated with industrial applications of G. candidum were selected. Our analysis revealed that apart from its role as a starter in the dairy and brewing industries, this species has been administered as a probiotic nutritional supplement in fish, indicating improvements in developmental and immunological parameters. Strains of this species produce a plethora of biotechnologically important enzymes, including cellulases, β-glucanases, xylanases, lipases, proteases, and α-amylases. Moreover, strains that produce antimicrobial compounds and that are capable of bioremediation were identified. The findings of the present review demonstrate the importance of G. candidum for agrifood- and bio-industries and provide further insights into its potential future biotechnological roles.
Keywords: GRAS; Geotrichum candidum; antimicrobial compounds; bioremediation; biotechnology; cellulases; fungi; lipases; starter cultures; yeast.