Studies on the production of lipids in fungi XIII. Changes of amount and composition of lipids in fungi in species of the genusPellicularia from cellulose by cultural conditions

Abstract

The influence of growth temperature, carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of the medium and the nitrogen source on the cell and lipid formation from cellulose by the speciesfilamentosa andpraticola of the genusPellicularia were investigated. The strains of thePellicularia genus fungi can be grown well utilizing powdery cellulose and sugar cane bagasse as the carbon source. The amount of lipids accumulated in the mycelium varied considerably depending on the difference in the cell growth associated with the cultivation condition, and the difference in the strain, C/N ratio and nitrogen source. The maximum accumulation of lipids in the mycelium (256 mg/400 ml of the medium) from cellulose was observed at 20 C with a C/N ratio of 5.7 using potassium nitrate as the nitrogen source forPellicularia filamentosa var.solani IFO 5879. Protein formation in the liquid medium is at its peak when the cell growth is at its maximum. The fatty acid compositions of the neutral and polar lipid fractions also were determined. Linoleic acid is the major fatty acid component of both fractions. The change in the total lipid content is less than 10% under any cuitivation condition.