Penicillium is a genus of moulds that feed on decaying matter and produce various substances, including penicillin and cheese. Learn about its classification, structure, reproduction, and biotechnological and medical importance. Penicillium is commonly known as blue or green mould as it produce a mass of bluish, greenish or yellowish spores. Penicillium is a genus of mold that belongs to the family Aspergillaceae within the fungal kingdom. It is one of the most important and well-known groups of fungi, particularly due to its significant impact on medicine, industry, and food production. Penicillium is one of the most known fungal genera, made famous by Alexander Fleming with the discovery of the antibiotic “penicillin,” produced by a culture of P. notatum that had an inhibiting effect on the growth of pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (Raper and Thorn, 1949).
