[Chitin of mycelial fungi of the genus Penicillium].

The effect of the nutrient medium and cultivation conditions on the chitin content in cell walls of mycelial fungi of the Penicillium genus was studied. The chitin accumulation was influenced by the composition and quantity of carbon and nitrogen sources, acidity of the medium, aeration rate and age of the culture. The highest content of chitin in the strains studied was no more than 4--5%. The paper discusses the potential use of the fungi P. digitatum 24 P, P. notatum 1 f, P. terikowskii and P. claviforme as protein producers. It describes the procedure for measuring chitin in cell walls of mycelial fungi.