Frederick T. Wolf

Microbiological studies of Indonesian fermented foodstuffs

Microbiological studies were made of certain Indonesian foodstuffs obtained from Malang, Surakarta, and Djakarta.Saccharomyces cerevisiae andCandida solani were isolated from ragi-roti (a bakers yeast preparation). From ragi-tempe and tempe were isolatedRhizopus oryzae, R. arrhizus, R. oligosporus, R. stolonifer, Mucor Rouxii, M. javanicus andTrichosporon pullulans. The microbiological flora of ragi-tape was found to includeCandida parapsilosis, C. melinii, C. lactosa sp. nov.,Hansenula subpelliculosa, H. anomala, H. malanga sp. nov.,Chlamydomucor oryzae andAspergillus oryzae. From ragi-ketjap, used to prepare soysauce, were isolatedRhizopus oligosporus, R. arrhizus, Aspergillus oryzae, andA. flavus, the latter species probably being an accidental contaminant. Two new species are described:Candida lactosa andHansenula malanga, from ragi-tape from Surakarta and Malang, respectively.

Kudzu (Pueraria Lobata): Potential agricultural and industrial resource

Kudzu was introduced to the southern United States in the 1930s to help restore the soil and reduce erosion. However, since it is a legume with an extensive root structure and without natural enemies in the United States, it has adapted to the land too successfully. States like Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are now invaded by kudzu which, at the present time, has no commercial outlet. It is suggested in this paper that the plant be considered for several uses: the root starch as a source of carbohydrate and as a medium for yeast and ethanol production; the fiber for use in paper, in grass wallpaper, and in textiles and clothing; and the leaves for a high protein animal fodder. Preliminary experiments indicate that the root provides a vitamin enriched source of starch for ethanol and yeast fermentations. The vine can also be processed to expose the desired high tensile strength fiber for apparel use. A process is also proposed for removing the low concentration ethanol from a fermentation solution, which requires only a small fraction of the external energy required for the conventional distillation process.

The Utilization of Carbon and Nitrogen Compounds by Ustilago Zeae

This study is concerned with the growth of Ustilago zeae in synthetic media containing various sources of carbon and nitrogen. Four monosporial cultures of U. zeae, all derived from a single promyc...

Observations on an outbreak of pulmonary Aspergillosis

An account is presented of an illness affecting several persons working in a laboratory. The source of the disorder was traced to a massive growth ofAspergillus fumigatus within the air conditioning system. It could not be determined whether the cases described represent infection by or allergy to the fungus. Es wird über eine Krankheit berichtet, die mehrere Personen in einem Laboratorium befiel. Die Quelle der Infektion war in einem massiven Wachstum vonA. fumigatus innerhalb eines Luftkühlungssystem gefunden. Es konnte nicht festgestellt werden, ob die beschriebenen Fälle eine Infektion oder Allergie durch den Pilz darstellten.

The nutrition of Monosporium apiospermum.

The disease of man known as maduromycosis, Madura foot, or mycetoma, is due to any one of a number of organisms included among both the actinomycetes and the filamentous fungi. Within the continental United States, the most frequent etiologic agent is Monosporium apiospermum. Boyd and Crutchfield (1921) isolated from a case of maduro? mycosis an ascomycetous fungus which was described by Shear (1922) as Allescheria Boydii. In a Canadian strain of M. apio? spermum, Emmons (1944) demonstrated the production of perithe? cia and ascospores similar to those of A. Boydii, thus proving that Monosporium apiospermum is the conidial stage of Allescheria Boydii. The name M. apiospermum is commonly retained, however, for those isolates in which the production of the Allescheria stage has not been observed. Little information is available concerning the physiology of this pathogen. Boyd and Crutchfield (1921) noted that it could readily be grown in liquid media, and that a number of carbohydrates, including mannitol, galactose, xylose, rhamnose, mannose, lactose, sucrose, maltose and dextrose, were not fermentatively attacked. Benham and Georg (1948) have recently investigated the conditions necessary for the production of the perithecial stage in culture, concluding that media rich in organic nitrogen are favorable for formation of conidia but adversely afTect perithecial production. These workers cultivated M. apiospermum upon a synthetic medium of dextrose agar containing 0.2 per cent asparagine as the only nitrogen source. Thus, the fungus is autotrophic insofar as its requirement for growth factors (vitamins, amino acids, purines and pyrimidines) is concerned.

Lipid composition and metabolism in oospores and oospheres ofAchlya americana

Abstract Oospores and oospheres ofAchlya americana Humphrey were isolated by sonication and filtration through nylon-mesh cloth of progressively diminishing porosity, and their lipid composition was investigated. The average dry weight of an oospore was 3.2 ng. Approximately 37% of the dry weight was composed of lipid. Triacylglycerols represented 88.7% of the total lipid, unesterified fatty acids made up 9.7%, and sterols, sterol esters, phospholipids, and mono- and diacylglycerols each constituted less than 1% of the total. Palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids were the predominant fatty acids, along with smaller amounts of myristic, palmitoleic, stearic, arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerol fraction was similar to that of the total lipid, while that of the phospholipid fraction was higher in oleic acid. The unesterified fatty acid fraction was higher in saturated components than the total lipid, while the sterol ester fraction was higher in unsaturated fatty acids. In both the total lipid and the various lipid classes, unsaturated fatty acids increased during spore development. The sterol fraction consisted of 72% fucosterol, 22% cholesterol, and 7% 24-methylenecholesterol. In both oospheres and oospores, 1-[14C] acetate was assimilated most readily into phospholipids, triacylglycerols, and unesterified fatty acids, and was incorporated preferentially into palmitic, palmitoleic, and oleic acids. 1-[14C]-Arachidonic acid was incorporated by isolated oospheres into eicosapentaenoic acid, indicating that arachidonic acid is the immediate precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid.

Effects of chemical agents in inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis and chloroplast development in higher plants

SummaryThe biosynthesis of chlorophyll, its accumulation and maintenance once formed, and the structural development of the chloroplast are complex processes subject to inhibition by a great variety of chemical agents, differing widely in structure and in their modes of action. Substances affecting chlorophyll formation and/or chloroplast development include antibiotics, analogs of nucleic acid bases and amino acids, naturally occurring plant hormones and their synthetic counterparts, herbicides, growth inhibitors, fungal metabolites, inhibitors of photosynthesis and respiration, ethanol, inorganic ions, sugars, and gases.ZusammenfassungDie Biosynthese von Chlorophyll, seine Anhäufung und Erhaltung nach Bildung, und die strukturelle Entwicklung von Chloroplast sind komplizierte Vorgänge, die von einer grossen Anzahl verschiedener chemischer Wirkstoffe gehemmt werden, und die alle unterschiedlich im Aufbau und ihrer Tätigkeit sind. Materien, die die Chlorophyllbildung und/oder Chloroplastentwicklung beeinflussen, schliessen Antibiotika, Analogen von Kernsäurenhauptbestandteilen und Aminosäuren, natürliche Pflanzenhormone und ihre synthetischen Gegenstücke, Herbiziden, Wachstumshemmstoffe, Pilzstoffwechselprodukte, Inhibitoren von Photosynthese und Atmung, Äthanol, anorganische Ionen, Zucker, und Gase ein.

Effect of various gas atmospheres upon the greening of etiolated seedlings

Summary The greening response of etiolated wheat seedlings upon exposure to light has been studied in atmospheres of various gases and gas mixtures. In the presence of high levels (> 95 %) of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen or helium, greening occurs normally, and there is a requirement for small amounts of oxygen. Greening is completely inhibited, however, by high levels of carbon dioxide, methane, or ethylene, and is partially inhibited by carbon monoxide. The inhibition of greening by carbon dioxide is due in part to pH, and in part to interference with one or more of the decarboxylation reactions of chlorophyll biosynthesis. Experiments with cyanide, azide, and dinitrophenol demonstrate the requirement for metabolic energy derived from respiration and oxidative phosphorylation.

Effects of Phenolic Acids and their Derivatives upon the Growth of Avena Coleoptiles

Summary The elongation of Avena coleoptiles in the presence of indole acetic acid and sucrose is inhibited by cycloheximide, but not by chloramphenicol, and therefore involves cytoplasmic protein synthesis. Coleoptile elongation is rather insensitive to inhibition by cyanide, but is inhibited to a greater extent by azide or 2,4-dinitrophenol. Trans -cinnamic acid, o -coumaric acid, p -coumaric acid, ferulic acid, quinic acid and coumarin were inhibitory to coleoptile growth in all concentrations tested. Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, m -coumaric acid, sinapic acid, quercetin, rutin and umbelliferone were stimulatory to coleoptile growth in the presence of indoleacetic acid and sucrose. Certain of these naturally occurring compounds may therefore be considered as fine controls upon auxin-induced growth.

Inhibition of pathogenic fungi in vitro by p-hydroxy methyl benzoate.

p-hydroxy methyl benzoate is fungistatic, in rather low concentrations, to pathogenic fungi. 0.1 %p-hydroxy methyl benzoate was required to inhibit growth ofCandida albicans andMonosporium apiospermum on a Sabourauds agar medium.Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. tonsurans, Geotrichum sp.,Sporotrichum schenckii, Blastomyces dermatitidis andCryptococcus neoformans failed to grow in the presence of 0.05 %p-hydroxy methyl benzoate. Growth ofEpidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum audouini, M. canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton ferrugineum, T. rubrum, Hormodendrum compactum, H. Pedrosoi, Phialophora verrucosa, Nocardia asteroides, Coccidioides immitis, Haplosporangium parvum andHistoplasma capsulatum was suppressed by 0.025 % but not by 0.0125 % of this compound.