Fungal morphology and metabolite production in submerged mycelial processes.

The growth of molds in the form of pellets–a literature review

Filamentous fungi are important organisms industrially and continue to attract research interest as microbiologists attempt to overcome the problems associated with their behavior in submerged culture. This review critically examines the literature describing these problems and where available suggests possible solutions to them. The influence of the chemical and physical environment on culture morphology, the process engineering challenges presented by different fungal morphologies, and the relationship between fungal morphology and metabolite production are all discussed.

Growth of filamentous fungi in submerged culture: problems and possible solutions

The study of the physiology of the filamentous bacterium Streptomyces is inhibited by its formation of mycelial pellets in liquid cultures. It is demonstrated that dispersed growth may be achieved by the addition of polymers to the culture medium. Uncharged polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, are relatively ineffective but polyanions such as agar, Carbopol and Junlon produce dispersed cultures when included in a defined growth medium at low concentrations. Junlon-containing media enable optical density measurements to be used to follow batch growth of Streptomyces. Improvements in both biomass yield and product yield of the pigmented antibiotic actinorhodin were found to result from the incorporation of Junlon into minimal medium.

Dispersed growth of streptomyces in liquid culture

https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/pdf/0167-7799(91)90020-I.pdf

Mycelial morphology and metabolite production

Of 24 different polymer and surfactant materials examined, a carboxypolymethylene (“Carbopol”) was found to cause enhancement of respiration rates in an Aspergillus niger culture by as much as 200%. Enhancement of other fermentation parameters, such as cellular growth and amylase production, was also observed.

The enhancement effects of Carbopol were examined with clusters of spores and mold pellets. In the first case, it appears that the ionized carboxyl groups of Carbopol induced electrostatic repulsion among the spores thus initiating pulp growth with increased interfacial area of contact between the mold and the nutrient medium. In the second case, the Carbopol additive formed a thin film attached to the surface of the pellets which seemed to be responsible for an increased rate of potassium transport and, hence, fermentation yields. Additive utilization as substrate and physiological changes in the culture were not observed in these cases.

It was also found that the probability of pellet formation, the size of pellets formed, and the number of spores per pellet can be correlated to the energy input to the fermentation system.

H. Elmayergi

Papers

Effects of polymer additives on fermentation parameters in a culture of A. niger