[2] A combination of characteristics unique to A. niger makes the microbe invaluable to the production of many acids, proteins and bioactive compounds.

[1][4] A. niger causes a disease known as "black mold" on certain fruits and vegetables such as grapes, apricots, onions, and peanuts, and is a common contaminant of food.

[citation needed] Aspergillus niger has a genome consisting of roughly 34 megabases (Mb) organized into eight chromosomes.

[18] Completed sequences have been used to uncover orthologous genes and pathways involved in fungal metabolism, specifically the catabolism of monosaccharides.

[19] The ability of A. niger to change its metabolism depending on the carbon sources and other nutrients present in its environment has enabled the microorganism to survive and be found in almost all ecosystems.

Nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon come from agricultural byproducts such as wheat bran, sugar pulp, rice husks, and corn flour.

[28] CA is in high demand for applications such as the control of microorganism growth, food and beverage flavor enhancement, acidity manipulation, pharmaceuticals, etc.

[32] Another use for A. niger within the biotechnology industry is in the production of magnetic isotope-containing variants of biological macromolecules for NMR analysis.

[38] Aspergillus niger can grow in gold-mining solutions containing cyano-metal complexes with gold, silver, copper, iron, and zinc.

OTA, a clinically relevant mycotoxin, can accumulate in human tissue and cause a variety of serious health conditions.

[44] Aspergillus niger can cause black mold infections in certain legumes, fruits, and vegetables such as peanuts, grapes, and onions, leading to the fungus being a common food contaminant.

[45] These characteristics make infections of A. niger a common cause of post-harvest decay in fruits and vegetables, which can lead to significant economic loss in the food industry.

Aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by spores of indoor and outdoor Aspergillus mold species.

[48] Aspergillosis infection customarily occurs in people with compromised immune systems or pre-existing lung conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis.

[47] Aspergillosis is particularly frequent among horticultural workers who often inhale peat dust, which can be rich in Aspergillus niger spores.

[49] Otomycosis, which is a superficial fungal infection of the ear canal, is another disorder that can be caused by overgrowth of Aspergillus molds like A.

[50] Otomycosis caused by A. niger is frequently associated with mechanical damage of the ear canal's external skin barrier and often presents itself in patients living in tropical climates.