Biosynthesis of fat in surface culture of a local strain of Aspergillus flavus.

An Aspergillus flavus strain isolated from Egyptian soil produced fat in appreciable amounts. General evidence for the operation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in this organism has been ascertained by the detection of citric, malic and fumaric acids in the metabolized culture solution. Maximum fat yield was attained after seven days of incubation. The lower intial pH value of the media favoured the fat obtained from the felts and raised its acid value. When the felts were sterilized in their acidic metabolism solutions increased the acid values of the fats over those of fats extracted from felts sterilized in distilled water. The felts autoclaved for the longest time produced the highest yields of fat with the highest free acidity. The employment of calcium carbonate in the nutrient solutions raised appreciably the acid values of the fats and suppressed the other metabolic activities.