The filamentous fungal genus Aspergillus consists of over 340 officially recognized species. A handful of these Aspergillus fungi are predominantly used for food fermentation and large-scale production of enzymes, organic acids, and bioactive compounds. These industrially important Aspergilli primarily belong to the two major Aspergillus sections, Nigri and Flavi. Aspergillus oryzae (section Flavi) is the most commonly used mold for the fermentation of soybeans, rice, grains, and potatoes. Aspergillus niger (section Nigri) is used in the industrial production of various enzymes and organic acids, including 99% (1.4 million tons per year) of citric acid produced worldwide. Better understanding of the genomes and the signaling mechanisms of key Aspergillus species can help identify novel approaches to enhance these commercially significant strains. This review summarizes the diversity, current applications, key products, and synthetic biology of Aspergillus fungi commonly used in industry.

丝状真菌曲霉属由340多种官方认可的物种组成。这些曲霉真菌中的少数主要用于食品发酵和大规模生产酶，有机酸和生物活性化合物。这些具有重要工业意义的曲霉菌主要属于两个主要的曲霉菌属，Nigri和Flavi。米曲霉（部分黄热病）是最常用的模具大豆，大米，谷物和土豆的发酵。黑曲霉（Nigri部分）用于各种酶和有机酸的工业生产，其中包括全球范围内生产的99％（每年140万吨）柠檬酸。更好地了解关键曲霉菌种的基因组和信号传导机制，可以帮助确定增强这些商业上重要菌株的新颖方法。这篇综述总结了工业上常用的曲霉真菌的多样性，当前的应用，关键产品和合成生物学。