Rhizopus

Rhizopus is a genus of fast-growing fungi in the class Zygomycetes that occur in soil and on fruits and vegetables. Some species are beneficial: Rhizopus oligosporus is essential for making tempeh, ontjom, and ragi, and others are used in manufacturing mycoprotein for foods. Others cause harm: Rhizopus stolonifer, the common bread mould, spoils fruits, vegetables, and bread, and some species are responsible for meat spoilage. Food technologists therefore encourage the useful species in fermentations while controlling the spoilage species through hygiene, packaging, and storage conditions.