Abstract
A study was made of the action of fatty acids onCandida tropicalis growing on hydrocarbon substrates at pH 4.0. It was shown that straight-chain acids are metabolized by the organism as long as their concentration in the aqueous phase remains below a certain level which is designated the “critical concentration”. Below this concentration their only effect is to lengthen the lag phase, while above it, growth is completely suppressed. The critical concentrations of the acids in the aqueous phase diminish logarithmically with increasing chain length. Acids with a higher molecular weight than undecanoic acid do not exist in a critical concentration at pH 4.0, owing to the fact that at this pH their in the aqueous phase is too low.
Unlike straight-chain acids, branched-chain acids reduce the growth rate of the yeast at concentrations below the critical concentration. However, their critical concentrations are always higher than those observed for the straight-chain acid containing the same number of carbon atoms. The critical concentrations rise with the increasing proximity of the branching to the polar group, and with the increasing size of the side-chain.
It was shown that when acids are attacked by this organism, the attack occurs primarily at the acid end of the molecule and very little ω-oxidation occurs. The presence of a methyl, or other group, in the α-position almost completely prevents the metabolism of the acid.
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This work was carried out at: Société Française des Pétroles BP, Laboratoires de Microbiologie, Raffinérie de Lavéra, 13-Lavéra, France.
Permission to publish this paper has been given by the British Petroleum Company Limited.
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Bell, G.H. The action of monocarboxylic acids onCandida tropicalis growing on hydrocarbon substrates. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 37, 385–400 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02218509
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02218509