Summary
The chemical and spectroscopic data presented herein show that about 50% of the weight of the termite fungus comb consists of carbohydrates (⊂40%) and proteinaceous materials (⊂10%). Of the remaining material about 30% appears to be aliphatic in nature (long-chain and branched alkanoic acids) and 20% aromatic and phenolic. The data on monosaccharide composition indicate that the fungus comb material, rich in glucose, arabinose and xylose, is predominantly of plant origin.
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Arshad, M.A., Schnitzer, M. The chemistry of a termite fungus comb. Plant Soil 98, 247–256 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374828
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374828