Effect of light and media upon growth and melanin formation in aureobasidium pullulans ( de By. ) Arn . (=pullularia pullulans)

Polysaccharides like dextrine and starch are shown to be the best carbon sources for the growth of Aureobasidium pullulans although growth is good upon a variety of other carbon sources. Light increases growth markedly when polysaccharides are the carbon source but not when other sugars are used. Variation in cell morphology is described in response to sugars and light. Extracellular granules, whose properties resemble those of melanin, are produced when dextrine is the carbon source in a defined medium containing asparagine as the source of nitrogen. The dark pigment was extracted from the walls of thick-walled brown cells of A. pullulans and characterized as a melanin on the basis of several tests, including solubility and absorption spectrum. A. pullulans was grown on several defined and undefined media and the response of the fungus to light is shown to be determined by the medium, and the temperature at which the cultures are grown.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43277/1/11046_2005_Article_BF02054883.pd