Exploring Culture Media Diversity to Produce Fungal Secondary Metabolites and Cyborg Cells

Fungi are microorganisms of significant biotechnological importance due to their ability to provide food and produce several value-added secondary metabolites and enzymes. Its products move billions of dollars in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and additives sectors. These microorganisms also play a notable role in bionanotechnology, leading to the production of hybrid biological-inorganic materials (such as cyborg cells) and the use of their enzyme complex in the biosynthesis of nanoparticles. In this sense, optimizing the fungal growth process is necessary, with selecting the cultivation medium as one of the essential factors for the microorganism to reach its maximum metabolic expression. The culture medium's composition can also impact the nanomaterial's stability and prevent the incorporation of nanoparticles into fungal cells. Therefore, our main objectives are the following: (1) compile and discuss the most commonly employed culture media for the production of fungal secondary metabolites and the formation of cyborg cells, accompanied by preparation methods; (2) provide a six-step guide to investigating the fungal metabolomic profile and (3) discuss the main procedures of microbial cultivation to produce fungal cyborg cells.