The component fatty acids of the fat of Aspergillus nidulans

Abstract

The fat elaborated by A. nidulans grown on a sucrose medium is remarkably low in free acidity. The component acids of the fat have been shown to be: myristic, 0.7; palmitic, 20.9; stearic, 15.9; higher saturated acid, 1.4; hexadecenolc, 1.2; oleic, 40.3; linoleic, 17.0; linolenic, 0.2; C20-22 unsaturated 2.4% (w/w). The fat appears to be somewhat anomalous compared with the fats of other microorganisms by virtue of its relatively high stearic acid content. The low hexadecenoic acid content is in harmony with the suggestion by Holmberg (1948) that high fat formers produce fats of low hexadecenoic acid content. The linoleic acid content of this fat is somewhat higher than that of olive oil but lower than that of groundnut oil.