COLOR VARIABILITY AND PULLULAN PRODUCTION FROM TROPICAL VARIANTS AUREOBASIDIUM PULLULANS

Authors: MANITCHOTPISIT, P - CHULALONGKORN UNIV THIALA; PRASONGSUK, S - CHULALONGKORN UNIV THIALA; EVELEIGH, D - RUTGERS UNIV NJ; Leathers, Timothy; PUNNAPAYAK, H - CHULALONGKORN UNIV THIALA

Submitted to: Society of Industrial Microbiology Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/3/2006
Publication Date: 8/3/2006
Citation: Manitchotpisit, P., Prasongsuk, S., Eveleigh, D.E., Leathers, T.D., Punnapayak, H. 2006. Color variability and pullulan production from tropical variants aureobasidium pullulans [abstract]. Society of Industrial Microbiology. p. 196.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Diverse tropical variant strains of the polymorphic fungus Aureobasidium pullulans were isolated from many provinces in Thailand. They were cultured from leaves, painted walls, and wood surfaces. Most colonies were smooth, moist, cream or pale pink on YMA (yeast malt agar) medium, while budding yeast cells or blastospores, swollen cells, hyphae and pseudohyphae were visible microscopically. To study the relationship between the color variability and the pullulan production level, each isolate was cultured in production medium (PM) containing sucrose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, for 7 days. These isolates yielded a range of color variants through cream, pale pink, light burgundy red, light brown, olivaceous green and to black in PM. Their colors corresponded to the color of the pullulans and the particular cellular morphotype. Cream or pale pink cultures were from hyaline blastospores while darker pigment cultures seemed to be developed from dark chlamydospores. High pullulan yields (>20 g/l) were obtained from cream, pale pink, and dark olivaceous green cultures. The white PTN-P5 gave the highest yield of nearly 29 g/l (4 g/g cell dry weight) of white pullulan.