**4.6 Food and cosmetics**

A few edible fungi, especially species of *Pleurotus*, can also be grown using OMWs as the source of nutrients by the application of different strategies. Recently the cultivation of the oyster mushroom *Pleurotus ostreatus* was suggested on OMWW (KalmIs et al. 2008).

Hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) are known to have special properties such as higher viscosity and reactivity compared to other normal fatty acids. These special properties used in a wide range of applications including resins, waxes, nylons, plastics, lubricants, cosmetics, and additives in coatings and paintings. Some HFAs are also reported as antimicrobial agents against plant pathogenic fungi and some of food-borne bacteria. Bacterium *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* PR3 produce several hydroxy fatty acids from different unsaturated fatty acids. Of those hydroxy fatty acids, 7,10-dihydroxy-8(E)-octadecenoic acid (DOD) was efficiently produced from oleic acid by strain PR3. DOD production yield from olive oil was 53.5%. Several important environmental factors were also tested. Galactose and glutamine were optimal carbon and nitrogen sources, and magnesium ion was required for DOD production from olive oil (Suh et al. 2011).
