Aureobasidium

Aureobasidium is a genus of yeast-like fungi in the class Hyphomycetes that occur in seafoods, fruits, and vegetables. Aureobasidium pullulans is the notable species for food science, and it plays a double role: it may cause spoilage of stored beef and other chilled foods, yet it also produces pullulan, a valuable edible polysaccharide used in films, coatings, and capsule shells. Pullulan’s excellent oxygen barrier and film-forming properties make it useful for edible packaging and pharmaceutical capsules. The genus thus spans both spoilage concern and industrial opportunity, a reminder that food mycology must manage harmful species in products while cultivating useful ones in fermenters under controlled conditions.