| Abstract: | The effect of three nitrogen sources on the chemical composition of seven fungi, namely: Aspergillus niger, A. luchuensis, Penicillium crustosum, Alternaria tenuis, Rhizoctonia solani, Mucor sp. and Pythium irregulare has been studied. The various fungi showed a great variation with respect to lipid percentage and total lipid content. Lipid content varied from 3.2 to 41.5%. Non-polar lipids were comprised of monoglycerides, diglycerides, free sterols, free fatty acids and triglycerides. The quantitative make-up of the non-polar lipid varied with different nitrogen sources. Palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids were the major fatty acids while lauric, myristic, palmitoleic, linoleic and arachidic were the minor ones. The fatty acid composition was dramatically changed by changing the nitrogen source. Since different fungi responded differently to changes in nitrogen source, no generalisation could be made. Two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography of the polar lipid fraction of these fungi revealed the presence of a maximum of fifteen spots. Phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl inositol were the major spots while lysophosphatidyl choline, lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl glycerol were present in smaller quantities. In comparison to phospholipids, glycolipids (except sterol glycoside) were present in relatively lower concentration. Pythium irregulare was very characteristic in having no glycolipids at all. |
