Chemotaxonomic Raman Spectroscopy Investigation of Ascomycetes and Zygomycetes

Enormous diversity exists in fungi, which cause epidemic diseases and infections by producing mycotoxins. Conventional fungal identification methods involve elaborate observations and time-consuming measurements of macroscopic and microscopic morphologies. The drawbacks with these methods include the need for an experienced investigator and the length of time taken to process the data. More recently, bioinformatic methods based on sequencing parts of the genome have been used to analyze fungi or fungal extracts by introducing chemotaxonomical markers. It is necessary to introduce a novel monitoring method that can accurately and efficiently identify fungal species. Spectroscopic analysis, which requires little sample preparation procedures, would meet the purpose of rapid analysis or identification of fungi