The Production of Polysaccharides by Fungi Active in the Decomposition of Wood and Forest Litter

Abstract

Four fungi known to be active in the decomposition of wood and forest litter were grown on a liquid medium containing salts and g l~~c o s e and also on aqueous estracts of a variety of fresh leaves and litter. The polysaccharides produced in the various cult~lre media by the same organism were found, by chromatography of the hydrolyzates, to be of the same composition. In some cases, when the fungi were grown on leaf or litter extracts, polysaccharide synthesis did not take place because of lack of carbohydrate material. In many instances polysaccharide synthesis was inhibited by a factor or factors present even in much diluted extracts.'Manuscript

Environmental Impact of Natural Polymers

“…Pullulan was first reported by Bauer in 1938 and is obtained from the fermentation broth of Aureobasidium pullulans. Pullulan is produced by a simple fermentation process using a number of feedstocks containing simple sugars (Bernier 1958). Pullulan can be chemically modified to produce a polymer that is either less soluble or even completely insoluble in water.…”

Analysis of Bioactive Olygosaccharide-Metal Complexes by Modern FTIR Spectroscopy: Copper Complexes

“…Consequently, pullulan and its derivatives have numerous potential food, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. Bernier isolated water-soluble polysaccharides from the cultures of Aureobasidium pullulans and reported that α-D-glucopyranose is the major product of acid hydrolysis (Bernier, 1958). Based on the positive optical rotation and IR spectrum of pullulan was concluded that the polymer is a α-glucan in which α-(1→4) linkages predominate (Bender et al, 1959).…”

Effects of water glass and DMDHEU treatment on the colonisation of wood by Aureobasidium pullulans

“…The specimens showed a significantly higher level of galactose after the blue stain test. Galactose appeared not to be utilised by A. pullulans and other sapstaining fungi (Fleet et al 2001), but glucose, glucuronic acid and also galactose and mannose were detected on cell walls of A. pullulans (Bernier 1958;Brown et al 1973). …”